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Rankin Business Lawyers is a full service legal practice that offers a range of commercial and private legal services. They are a young upstart with two complementary obsessions: –Making the law easily accessible to business; and Totally engaged, flexible, happy lawyers.
Why did your business become a Certified B Corporation?
We were looking at different ways we could differentiate ourselves in the marketplace and build relationships with businesses that share the same values. The B Corp framework is an efficient way of identifying clients and referral partners with similar values.
What changes did you make during the certification process?
Through the certification process we identified efficiencies in our core business practices, and made changes to the mechanics of the business like HR and banking with a B Corp. We implemented things like unlimited leave. We formalised our flexible working policies to enable us to scale. We identified lots of small wins throughout the [B Corp certification] journey.
What are the positive impact your business has on environment, workers, and/or community?
Most of our impact stuff is around employee wellbeing. We won the Law Institute of Victoria Wellbeing Award.
Do you have impact improvements planned?
We have been focused on educating our clients and our referral networks. We’re hoping to make an impact by converting all of our referral partners (other lawyers, accounting firms, people in finance and banking) and clients to become B Corps too. Then they can have an impact like us.
What benefits have you experienced from being a Certified B Corporation?
In a market where things like social impact and purpose are becoming a lot more mainstream, being a Certified B Corporation is a good PR tool. The most concrete benefit has been in recruitment. We have had people seek us out specifically because we are B Corp.
The most concrete benefit [of certification] has been in recruitment.
Rob Roy Rankin, Principal and Founder, Rankin Business Lawyers
B Lab AUNZ gratefully acknowledges the pro bono legal support of Rankin Business Lawyers.
This case study is featured in B Lab’s State of the B Report 2019.
