Rethinking the Triple Bottom Line for Law Firms

If you haven’t heard of the “triple bottom line” before, it’s a concept that encourages companies to take responsibility for directly or indirectly influencing people or events by their actions. And correspondingly, it defines success using not only financial measures, but also by gauging social and ecological performance. These three tenets are referred to as “profit, people and planet.”

At Generation Generosity, we have adopted this concept as our own, with some tweaking for relevancy. We believe everyone is better served from a financial, social and ecological standpoint when law firms strive to be places where:

1. Clients want to buy
2. Talented employees want to build a career
3. Leaders want to serve a greater purpose in their communities and families

And exploring these three tenets in depth will be the focus of this blog. We plan to challenge the public’s negative perception of attorneys by offering case studies of law firms and attorneys who “get it.” We also plan to challenge self-perceptions of law firms and attorneys, by providing links, resources and strategic guidance to help them become change agents in their profession and in their communities. Beyond all of that though, we’ll speak to how (and why) embracing these tenets not only enhances profitability, but also leaves attorneys better equipped to create strong, long-term relationships with their clients, their colleagues and the world around them.

You’ll find our discussion forums on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, with this blog being the hub of activity. Please post your thoughts about this concept here and visit often. We need your help as we work to reshape attorney perception. Lawyers are central to the history of society and social good, and we think it’s time the world knew it. Won’t you join the discussion?