SOCIAL INVOLVEMENT

‘Respect, decency, diligence, and humility towards humans and nature - these are virtues that have been lost in our society. Instead, we have developed excessive greed and given up solidarity in society.’ (Ernst Prost in the newspaper Kölner Stadt Anzeiger of 3-4 July 2010).

The Lawyers and tax consultant von Moers have had a different mindset from the start. Social involvement has been on our agenda not only since the times of CSR, but it has been one of our central duties since the law firm was established. The effect of the more recent wave of CSR has possibly been that we pursue our activities in a more structured and less sporadic manner than previously. To us, social involvement is not only doing welfare work and giving donations to charitable organisations, but also rendering active assistance. Social involvement also includes commitment for the avoidance of pollution, and environmental care. In the past years, we have made regular donations, for instance to social enterprises and Unicef, or supported schools in Cologne by buying sports materials. In addition, we offer free seminars for Unicef (www.unicef.de) about the subjects of execution of wills, advance health care directives, and precautionary powers of attorney.

We are also active in Betterplace where we regularly support several projects each year (www.betterplace.com). The Lawyers and tax consultant von Moers are a member of the organisation ‘One percent for the planet’ and pay one percent of their annual turnover to charitable organisations for charitable or ecological projects (www.onepercentfortheplanet.org). The lawyer Mr v. Moers himself has been an active ‘Kölner KulturPate’ (sponsor of cultural institutions in Cologne) for years and has actively supported the Förderverein für Kunst und Kultur e.V. (society for the promotion of art and culture), the arts society Kultur-Initiative ¾ e.V., and the Kölner Künstler Theater with his work. In addition, he is a permanent passive member of the DGzRS (German Association for the Rescue of Shipwrecked).

We are careful to use raw materials sustainably also on a small scale. For instance, the production of the envelopes we use is certified by the Forest Stewardship Counsel (FSC), the coffee we drink is fairly traded, etc.

Last but not least, the Lawyers and tax consultant von Moers have personally begun to modernise their car fleet in terms of economy and ecology. The newer cars meet the current EU standards and are among the special ‘eco’ models of the respective manufacturers. Business trips to non-local hearings are usually made by train.