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Source: Clarke Willmott

National law firm Clarke Willmott has received real living wage employer accreditation as part of its commitment to its environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy.

As a result of the accreditation, everyone working for the firm will receive a minimum hourly wage of £12.60, or £13.85 if they are based in London. This rate is higher than the government minimum for staff over the age of 21, which currently stands at £11.44 per hour. It has until May this year to implement the new rate.

In addition, all of the firm’s third-party contractors will be paid the living wage, in order to further widen the impact and influence change.

The real living wage rate is calculated based on what employees need to earn in order to afford a decent standard of living, which includes housing, childcare and heating costs. The voluntary rate is updated annually and provides a benchmark for employers that want their staff earn a wage they can live on, not just the government minimum.

Karen Higgins, head of ESG at Clarke Willmott, said: “Gaining accreditation as a living wage employer was a no-brainer for us. As a responsible business, we want our people to thrive and succeed and a huge part of that is ensuring they are paid fairly and can live comfortably in these challenging economic times. Our ongoing ESG strategy aims to address inequalities through positive action. We want to integrate the entire ESG framework into every aspect of our operations, from procurement and supplier selection to the benefits and opportunities we provide to our people.”

Katherine Chapman, director at the Living Wage Foundation, added: “We’re delighted that Clarke Willmott has over 15,000 UK employers [which] voluntarily commit to go further than the government minimum to make sure all their staff earn enough to live on. These businesses recognise that paying the real living wage is the mark of a responsible employer and believe that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay.”