National law firm Mills & Reeve has recently celebrated over 25 years in the region by announcing the relocation of their Birmingham team to a new office space and establishing new regional charity partnerships – further committing the firm to making a positive impact in the region.
Contribution to the local community
Aside from the day to day running of the firm, Mills & Reeve’s people get involved in a large amount of community work in Birmingham, supporting local charities and bodies with their socially led campaigns.
Operating as acting mentors with Envision, a UK based charity that empowers young people from less advantaged backgrounds to develop essential skills and confidence, as they design, develop and deliver a social action project that makes a positive change in their schools.
The Mills & Reeve team has assisted and hosted a series of workshops with the students. These workshops have included challenging teams of students to devise a social action project. The students then have the opportunity to formally present their social action project, helping them to develop confidence in making presentations.
In addition, Mills & Reeve supports the ‘Homelessness Taskforce (an initiative led by the West Midlands Combined Authority). Since its inception in 2017, the Homelessness Taskforce works on a wide range of issues and initiatives aimed at ‘designing out homelessness’. The activities of the Homelessness Taskforce range from Housing First through to research work on children and families in Temporary Accommodation. Mills & Reeve is proud to be supporting the Homelessness Taskforce and to help in providing a platform for focussing on what can be done to tackle homelessness in the West Midlands.
Mills & Reeve also supports SIFA Fireside. SIFA Fireside provides support to homeless and vulnerably housed individuals and is a key channel for those individuals to access support services. In addition to charitable donations, Mills & Reeve provides pro bono support to SIFA Fireside.
The firm has also recently announced The Birmingham Central Food Bank (which is part of the Trussell Trust) as their new office charity. The Birmingham Central Food Bank provides emergency food and support to those in need. As part of the Trussell Trust, the food bank also campaigns for change to end the need for food banks in the UK. In addition to charitable donations to the Birmingham Central Food Bank, Mills & Reeve colleagues volunteer in the food bank.
New office
Mills & Reeve has been in Birmingham for 25 years and, having spent the last 18 years on Colmore Row. will be moving into One Centenary Way in June 2024. The firm is taking 32,000 sq ft of space on the fourth and fifth floors. This ‘upsizing’ of office space is to ensure that the ambitious growth plans for the Mills & Reeve office can be accommodated.
Jayne Hussey, head of the Mills & Reeve Birmingham office, said: “Birmingham is a city we as a firm have been strongly committed to for over two decades now. Our people have always been engaged in aiding the local region’s causes, getting involved with volunteering and spreading awareness. As we grow, we hope to continue to contribute to this wonderful city for many years to come.
“Our recently announced office move marks the beginning of a recruitment drive bringing new jobs and opportunities to the local community. It’s our ambition that with a growing team, there’s more of the great community work the team participates in consistently.
“I’m greatly proud of what we’re able to achieve as an office for the community and am honoured to be the one at the head steering the firm in a new era in the city of Birmingham.”
Jean Templeton, Chief Executive at St Basil’s said: “Mills & Reeve are a great asset to the causes that we look to tackle in this region – homelessness is an everyday issue that affects thousands of people. Without the support of social purpose led businesses such as Mills & Reeve, these issues could go ignored or not given the attention and focus they require.”