New Component en

When we first heard about Benefit Societies, we found the concept to be fascinating and, at the same time, utopian. However, the idea of the benefit society intrigued us, and we instinctively sensed its potential.

In Italy, benefit societies have been regulated since 2015 in the wake of the B Corp movement born in the United States. Moreover, Italy has been the first country in Europe to give legal dignity to this new form of company, characterized by the combination of profit and benefit purposes.

We decided to closely follow the evolution of this new company and eventually, we were struck to see how it slowly caught on, going beyond our expectations. This is the reason why, at some point, we began to believe in the potential held by this business model in the context of a law firm.

Today, ESG issues represent one of the main criterias according to which companies are evaluated by their stakeholders. The solicitations come even stronger, from consumers, industrial and business partners, rating agencies, the world of finance and institutions.

Lexant assists client companies on the path towards sustainability through shared commitment, projects, and founding valuable relationships. The aim is to become an example of an innovative business model by bringing together profit objectives and social commitment.

We have always felt close to the instances related to sustainability, social issues, and the idea of pursuing our business without renouncing our ethical principles.

Our values are the backbone of our everyday activities. We comply with them while carrying out our professional activities, managing our relationships both internally and externally with our stakeholders. For us, becoming a Benefit Society has meant making a serious commitment towards this direction.

WHAT ARE BENEFIT CORPORATIONS

Benefit Corporations (introduced by Law 208/2015) are companies that “while carrying out an economic activity, other than the purpose of dividing its profits, pursue one or more purposes of common benefit and operate in a responsible, sustainable and transparent way towards people, communities, territories and the environment, cultural and social goods and activities, entities and associations and other stakeholders.”

The Benefit Corporation completely overcomes the opposition between for-profit and nonprofit enterprises and offers a new paradigm: companies capable of acting to pursue their own profit while making a positive impact on civil society and the environment, even in the long term. Indeed, the dual purposes, enshrined and protected in the Articles of Incorporation, are even synergistic.

LEXANT, BENEFIT SOCIETY AMONG LAWYERS

We are one of the very first Benefit Societies within the legal profession in Italy. We have chosen to put in black and white, in our founding document, the Bylaws, the commitment we have made to our employees, collaborators, clients, and community. As lawyers, we are aware of the compelling role we can play in society, as a force for good, promoting through our daily work and special projects a culture of legality, transparency, well-being, sustainable innovation, collaboration, and respect for people and the planet. Our expertise in various fields, such as legal, financial and corporate, enables us to deeply understand the business realities of our clients, large and small, and to offer tailor-made legal services with the highest quality, taking a holistic and inclusive approach.

As stipulated in Law 208/2015, which establishes Benefit Societies, this report aims to illustrate and provide accountability to stakeholders concerning LEXANT's commitment, during the reporting period, regarding the areas:

Corporate governance: to assess the degree of transparency and accountability of the company in the pursuit of common benefit purposes, with particular attention to the company's purpose, the level of stakeholder engagement, and the degree of transparency of the policies and practices adopted by the company;

Employees: to assess relationships between employee and contractor in terms of compensation and benefits, training and opportunities for personal development, quality of the work environment, internal communication, flexibility and job security;

Other stakeholders: to assess the company's relationships with suppliers, the territory and local communities in which it operates, including voluntary actions, donations, cultural and social activities, and any actions supporting local development and its supply chain;

Environment: to evaluate the impact of company's operations, with a life cycle perspective of products and services, in terms of resource use, energy, raw materials, production processes, logistics and distribution processes, use and consumption, and end of life management.

In January 2022 we chose to concretize our commitment by becoming a Benefit Society, making us one of the very first in the legal sector in Italy. As a matter of fact, you could count all such firms across the country by only using two hands.

Today, we are proud to be a Benefit Society among Lawyers, a multidisciplinary firm that has included in its corporate purpose, alongside its financial interests, to implement actions of common benefit. These actions are carried out operating in a responsible, sustainable and transparent way in deference to the ESG culture.

The new bylaws set out for the purpose of promoting a positive and increasingly inclusive work environment, able to foster individual and collective growth by enhancing each person's potential and encouraging job satisfaction

• promotes the creation of a positive, discrimination-free, fair, and inclusive work environment, aimed at fostering the full development of individuals and teams, encouraging both individual and collective growth through the identification of human and professional development paths based on meritocratic principles and focused on achieving objectives and recognizing initiative. It is committed to enhancing each person’s potential and continually growing pride and satisfaction at work.
• strives to support its employees and collaborators and their families, providing as flexible a work approach as possible to improve the balance between personal needs, leisure, and work time.
• promotes knowledge, culture, and awareness among the public, not limited to its clients, particularly through newsletters, editorials, and the provision of courses and webinars, in order to encourage understanding and deepening of current topics. It values relationships and promotes financial literacy and risk management culture among its clients and network, as well as more broadly among those without access to traditional consulting services. It promotes the knowledge and dissemination of sustainable and responsible business and economic models to inspire both internally and externally.
• offers transparent and responsible management to strengthen relationships with clients and partners, providing expertise, professionalism, confidentiality, listening, and understanding.
• collaborates with non-profit organizations, foundations, and similar entities whose purposes are aligned and synergistic with its own, to contribute to their development and amplify the positive impact of their work.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is an action plan for people, the planet, and prosperity.

Signed on September 25, 2015, by the governments of the 193 United Nations member countries and approved by the UN General Assembly, the Agenda consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved in environmental, economic, social, and institutional areas by 2030.

The 17 Goals take into account the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social, and ecological.

A global challenge: The goals set for sustainable development concern and involve all countries and components of society, from private enterprises to the public sector, from civil society to media and cultural operators. A “call to action” that did not leave us indifferent and that we have interpreted in our long-term vision and daily actions.

https://www.agenziacoesione.gov.it/comunicazione/agenda-2030-per-lo-sviluppo-sostenibile/