Corporate social responsibility

Pro bono

Our commitment to the arts

Gadens has a long-standing commitment to the art supporting the culture and communities in which we live and work.

We are a Special Patron of the QAGOMA, having supported the institution for nearly 30 years. Gadens’ National Chairman, Paul Spiro, is a committee member of the QAGOMA Foundation.

Gadens’ profound commitment to the arts sector was showcased during the ‘Gadens Art Challenge’, held in partnership with the Museum of Brisbane. The challenge resulted in the Museum recording the most donations ever received from a fundraising campaign. In addition, Gadens matched dollar-for-dollar all appeal donations up to the total value of $20,000. Our commitment has resulted in the Museum purchasing artwork by leading Indigenous artist Judy Watson (Water Dragon 2011), which beautifully maps the Brisbane River flooding and explores its impact on the contemporary city, but also the memory of water and its connection to Country. The injection of funds from the Gadens Art Challenge has also enabled the Museum to commission emerging artist and finalist for the Archibald Prize, Sam Cranstoun, to create a mixed-media work inspired by the complicated story of Greek architect and town planner Dr C.A Doxiadis’ brief residence in Brisbane.

Gadens is proud to be a sponsor of the iconic Brisbane Festival. It is one of Australia’s major international arts festivals supported by the Queensland Government, the Brisbane City Council and major business groups.

Our office in Brisbane has a substantial contemporary art collection and supports, primarily, Queensland emerging and mid-tier artists. Upon entering our reception area, clients and visitors are greeted with an array of striking artworks. Each of our offices and meeting rooms in Brisbane houses its own art piece. The artwork in our Melbourne office reception and meeting rooms is leased from Artbank, a one of a kind, Australian Government support program that acquires the work of living, Australian contemporary artists and makes the collection available to the general public through a leasing program.

Sustainability

We strive to create a culture where the principles of sustainability and sound corporate responsibility are embraced and lived by our people every day. In our efforts to minimise our impact on the environment and take ownership of our environmental footprint, we are continuously looking for ways to maximise the efficient use of energy, water and other resources, and minimise pollution and waste. Our aims are to continue to reduce our impact on the environment by ensuring the sustainable use of scarce resources, manage sustainability in our supply chain, and implement the firm’s Paperlite project and other environmental initiatives to further minimise our impact on the environment.

We are members of City Smart which specialises in engaging and educating communities (residential and business) on sustainability challenges around energy, water, waste, transport and the built environment. City Smart is a not for profit incorporated company and partners with communities to lead in sustainability across energy, waste, water, greenhouse emissions, transport, biodiversity and the circular economy nationally.

We are also members of the Australian Legal Sector Alliance (AusLSA), an industry-led association that works collaboratively to promote sustainable practices across the legal sector, and we participate in their annual reporting process. To view Gadens’ most recent reporting results, see AusLSA Report 2022 – Gadens.