In May of 2011, after achieving the requisite number of points on our B Lab assessment, Perlman & Perlman joined the community of B Corps, now numbering over 500 businesses throughout the United States and abroad. As stated in our B Lab profile, we became a B Corp to reflect our values as an enterprise seeking to have a positive social impact through our business model. To truly be effective in “empowering our clients to change the world” we need to be part of that change and that begins at home.
B Lab, a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems, certifies standards for “B Corps”. Since its founding in 2008, B Lab’s mission to improve social and environmental standards for companies has been realized by awarding their moniker to businesses demonstrating a commitment to a change in the way of doing business, a way that produces social good as well as profit. Any business (including ours, which is a limited partnership) can become a member of the B Corp community by undergoing an assessment and achieving a sufficient grade in accountability, employment practices, consumer transparency, community benefit and environmental stewardship (a formal designation under state law as a Benefit Corporation is not necessary). The hope of the B Lab founders is that a strong community of B Corps will lead the movement towards a more sustainable economy generated by social entrepreneurship.
Our community of clients has broadened over the past fifty years, but continues to be comprised mostly of agents for positive social change. As legal counsel, we view ourselves as a supportive force for such change. Being a B Corp strengthens our commitment to that goal through a set of external standards shared by others in the B community and to which we remain accountable. It is a powerful tool, helping us to become more responsive to the needs and well-being of our clients, our employees, the environment and our community.
