2025 Slavery and human trafficking statement

For the financial year ending 31 March 2025

Introduction

This statement has been published in accordance with the requirements of section 54(1) Modern Slavery Act 2015 (the Act). It sets out the steps taken by Browne Jacobson LLP during the financial year ended 31 March 2025 to ensure modern slavery and human trafficking, collectively referred to as “modern slavery” in this statement, is not taking place in any part of our business or any of our supply chains and the effectiveness of such steps. 

Our structure, business and supply chains as of 31 March 2025

Browne Jacobson is a UK and Ireland based law firm supplying legal services, advising clients across the private and public sectors. Browne Jacobson is the brand name under which Browne Jacobson LLP and Browne Jacobson Ireland LLP provide legal and other services to clients. 

Browne Jacobson Ireland LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in the Republic of Ireland, regulated by the Law Society of Ireland and authorised by the Legal Services Regulatory Authority to operate as a limited liability partnership. A list of its partners is available at its principal place of business at 2 Hume Street, Dublin 2, D02 FT82.

Browne Jacobson LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales (registered number OC306448). We are owned by our 114 members. 

Our head office is based in Nottingham and we also have offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Exeter, Manchester and London. We currently have 1,254 employees, which includes 210 partners. 

As indicated in our 2024/25 statement, we changed our accounting period and our financial year for 2024/25 covered a shorter period of eleven months, ending on 31 March 2025. For the financial year which this statement covers, we had an annual turnover of £125.5m (£137m turnover on an annual equivalent basis).  

Our supply chains

Our supply chains covered the procurement of goods and services to support the operations of our business and services to our clients. These fall into the following categories:

• IT – hardware, software and infrastructure, including hosting.
• Employee benefits.
• Telecommunications.
• Building services including catering, cleaning, security and other facilities management.
• Business support services including document production and storage. 
• Recruitment agencies.
• Professional services including barristers, medical professionals and various consultants and experts.
• Business travel.

Most of our suppliers and supply chains are UK based. We have undertaken a mapping exercise of our supply chains, starting with our highest risk categories (building services, catering) and progressing to lower risk areas. This includes both direct (tier 1) and, where possible, indirect suppliers. We are committed to increasing the transparency of our supply chain year-on-year, in line with international guidance.

Policies in relation to Modern Slavery

Our relevant internal policies continue to consist of our Anti-Modern Slavery Policy, Procurement Policy, Whistleblowing Policy and Supplier Due Diligence Policy. All policies and procedures are available to our people via our intranet and align with international standards, including the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.  

We endeavour to review our policies biennially, or more frequently where circumstances necessitate an earlier assessment. 

Due diligence processes

We continued to adopt a risk-based approach to combating modern slavery, with due diligence undertaken for all but the lowest risk, low spend, one-off suppliers. Due diligence was completed for a total of 108 suppliers in 2024/25.

Requestors for new supplier engagements or contract renewals were required to ensure appropriate due diligence was completed prior to engagement or renewal, and new suppliers could not be added for payment until this due diligence was complete. Suppliers identified as being at enhanced risk were additionally required to provide an overview of their approach to assessing and monitoring the risk of modern slavery within their business and supply chains.

Since our last statement, we have prioritised the enhancement of our supplier due diligence forms and criteria, broadening the scope for additional modern slavery checks. As part of this process, suppliers requiring enhanced due diligence were required to provide detailed information regarding their compliance and proactive measures to address modern slavery.

This included confirmation of any legal obligations to publish a modern slavery statement, provision of such statements where applicable, and an explanation of the methods and actions they use to assess, monitor, and prevent modern slavery within their operations and supply chains. Suppliers were also required to confirm the existence of relevant policies or codes of conduct and disclose any instances of slavery, servitude, bonded, forced, or compulsory labour identified within the past two years.

Our Risk and Compliance team reviewed responses to due diligence questions, with any risks communicated to the relevant director, head of department, or partner via a due diligence summary. During the period this statement covers, modern slavery risk within our supply chain was assessed as low and no suppliers reported any instances of modern slavery within their operations or their supply chains.

We are committed to ensuring that our operations are conducted ethically and responsibly, and continue to monitor and assess the risk of modern slavery in our business and supply chains to take appropriate actions to address any risks that arise.

All our suppliers were expected to adhere to both the spirit and the letter of our Supplier Code of Conduct and to report any actual or suspected breaches of this code. While we reserved the right to terminate relationships with suppliers in the event that modern slavery was identified in our supply chains, wherever possible, we are committed to working with affected parties to provide remediation.

Risk assessment and management 

Our Risk and Compliance team provided an annual report to both our Risk and Compliance Committee and Executive Committee. This report evaluates the risk of modern slavery within our business and its supply chains, detailing the actions taken and proposing recommendations for the upcoming financial year to enhance transparency and awareness. 

Although the overall risk of modern slavery across our operations and supply chains has been assessed as low, we are committed to implementing proportionate measures to identify and mitigate any potential occurrences. 

We monitor the effectiveness of our anti-slavery measures through regular reviews, supplier audits, and the use of key performance indicators such as the number of suppliers assessed and any reported incidents. Findings are used to inform future actions and are reported to senior management.

We conduct baseline modern slavery due diligence on all our suppliers as a standard practice. Our risk assessments prioritise the identification of risks to workers in our operations and supply chains, particularly in higher risk sectors such as building services and catering, rather than solely considering reputational or commercial risks to the firm.

Suppliers were asked questions about their ethical employment practices to ensure they adhered to fair wage standards, complied with labour laws, and respected workers' rights. This thorough vetting process is part of the firm's commitment to combatting modern slavery and ensuring that our supply chain is free from exploitative practices. 

Following the reintroduction of our catering services at our Nottingham head office, we acknowledged the heightened risk associated with these types of services and continued to play an active role in the recruitment process for catering staff. Additionally, we have set stringent expectations for the training provided to the supplier's staff at all levels, ensuring awareness and understanding of modern slavery issues.

Where required, we supported our clients by engaging in their supplier due diligence processes, ensuring that their supply chains also adhere to ethical standards and compliance requirements. We actively engage with internal stakeholders, including employees and management, and seek input from external stakeholders such as suppliers, industry peers to inform our approach to modern slavery risk management.

In our last statement we reported that as a supplier of services to public sector organisations, we were asked to engage with the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT) for a specific contract. Our performance was assessed, and we received a 'Green' rating, indicating strong compliance. Our Risk and Compliance team shared any identified areas for improvement with the relevant stakeholders responsible for the management of the contract. 

Training on Modern Slavery 

All our people received information on the policies and procedures they must follow relating to their work and how to report concerns.  

We are planning a firm-wide awareness campaign to coincide with the national Anti-Slavery Day on 18 October 2025. Consistent with our risk-based approach, we will continue to evaluate and enhance our guidance and training programmes to best support our people to identify and address any issues related to modern slavery.

Monitoring, evaluation, and effectiveness

We monitored the effectiveness of our anti-modern slavery measures through regular reviews, supplier audits, and the use of key performance indicators such as the number of suppliers assessed, and any reported incidents. Findings were used to inform future actions and were reported to senior management.

Our tracking and supplier due diligence processes ensured that all supplier engagements complied with the appropriate due diligence and approval procedures. During the 2024/25 financial year, we identified and carefully considered six suppliers that triggered enhanced modern slavery due diligence:

• Three of these cases were initially flagged due to incorrect responses in the risk assessment, and upon further examination, were determined not to be within the scope of our enhanced due diligence requirements.

• Two cases were triggered by the nature of the services provided, specifically catering staff and facilities maintenance.

• One case was due to the supplier's location which suggested an elevated risk.

In the three cases where enhanced due diligence was warranted, we were satisfied that no further investigation was necessary.

We remained committed to continuous improvement in our approach to combatting modern slavery, ensuring enhancement of our practices and the mitigation of any risks identified. 

For the next financial year, our goals include a review of Supplier Code of Conduct and consideration of any further action to support the changes made to widen the scope for additional modern slavery supplier due diligence.  

We are also considering a firmwide campaign to raise awareness of the wider risks of modern slavery and how this risk may manifest in our society.

Board approval 

We have agreed management responsibility for this statement and our executive committee has approved and fully supports these initiatives. This statement will be published on our website to promote transparency and accountability.

Signed by: 

Richard Medd, Managing Partner, Designated Member Browne Jacobson LLP 

Date: 29 July 2025