Our Community

Girlings values and takes pride in being a socially responsible law firm. We work in an ethical and professional way and care about the community in which we work.

We provide Pro Bono legal advice to some charities and social enterprises. In addition, some of our legal experts volunteer at the Kent Law Clinic at the University of Kent.

The Firm and its staff actively support a wide range of charitable causes and also other initiatives in and around Kent. Further details can be found below:

Corporate Charity

Corporate Charity: Oasis Domestic Abuse Service 2022-2024:

We are proud to support Oasis Domestic Abuse Service as our corporate charity. Oasis supports adults, children and young people in East Kent, Medway & North Kent who have been affected by domestic abuse. Their services include refuge and safe accommodation, group programmes, counselling, mentoring and training for professionals.

Charitable Causes

Corporate Charity: Take Off 2019-2022: Take Off works for better physical and mental health and provides ready-made social networks and peer support services as needed. It uses a peer support model and most of its services take the form of self-help groups, which are either ‘talking’ or ‘doing’ focused.

Girlings Solicitors and Kent Association for the Blind (KAB) are working together to develop initiatives for Girlings to offer the best service in East Kent for people with a visual impairment.

Corporate Charity: Martha Trust 2016 - 2019: Martha Trust provides inclusive, lifelong care for people with profound learning difficulties, and the Firm continues to support the charity on community work days and other initiatives.

Girlings has joined the ‘Dementia Friendly Kent’ campaign and is proud to be recognised as an organisation working to become Dementia Friendly by the campaign. Dementia Friends is an Alzheimer’s Society initiative which aims to raise awareness of the condition. Many of our staff are Dementia Friends. Ovid Busette, a Senior Associate Solicitor in our Wills, Tax & Estates team is a Dementia Friend and he is responsible for co-ordinating our Dementia Friends activities. Read a message from Ovid about the work of Dementia Friends here.

Pilgrims Hospices: Our Wills, Tax & Estates team look forward each year in February to taking part in Pilgrims Hospices’ annual Will Writing mont h to raise money for the charity.

RBLI Centenary: In 2019 Girlings was invited by the Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI), which has supported former military personnel and the disabled for 100 years, to take part in their Make a Will Campaign as part of the charity’s centenary celebration.

Strode Park Foundation: Our Wills, Tax & Estates Team, Herne Bay Office support Strode Park Foundation's Wills Writing Week.

Pro Bono Advice

Kent Law Clinic: Girlings supports Kent Law Clinic which provides a free public service to people in Kent who need legal advice/representation and who cannot afford to pay for it. The Clinic also enhances the education of students at Kent Law School through direct legal practice.

East Kent Women’s Institute: Girlings is an approved speaker for The East Kent WI and delivers information sessions on Family Law, Wills and Probate to WI membership groups across East Kent.

Age UK: Louise Wilson, Partner, Wills, Tax & Estates, is a Trustee of Faversham and Sittingbourne Age Uk. The Age UK branch provides a range of community services from personal care to Meals on Wheels.

Sponsorship

University of Kent: Sponsors of the Law School’s prize for best 2^nd Year Tort and Contract Law student.

Canterbury Wine Festival: Sponsors of Canterbury Wine Festival which brings together wine producers – large and small – from across the county, and which offers a great opportunity to support the growing significance and success of the Kent wine industry.

Ashford & District 10k: Girlings sponsors The Ashford & District RRC 10k. This popular and well respected event, run by Ashford & District Running Club and usually held each year in February, is seen by many runners to signal the start of the marathon season.

Canterbury Pride: Proud sponsors of Canterbury Pride since 2017.

Herne Bay Hockey Club: We are delighted to sponsor the club's men's first eleven.

Barham FC: We are delighted to sponsor the club's men's team.

Community accreditations

Dementia Friendly Kent: Since 2016, Girlings has been working with Kent County Council and other organisations across the county to create a Dementia Friendly Kent and are proud to have achieved the Council’s ‘WTBDF’ recognition symbol as a business who has committed to becoming dementia friendly and which provides Dementia Friend training sessions for their staff.