20 March 2018

To our stakeholders:

I am pleased to confirm that Arntzen de Besche Advokatfirma AS (“AdeB”) reaffirms its support of the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact in the areas of Human Rights, Labour, Environment and Anti-Corruption.

In this annual Communication on Progress, we describe our actions to continually improve the integration of the Global Compact and its principles into our business strategy, culture and daily operations. We also commit to sharing this information with our stakeholders using our primary channels of communication.

Sincerely yours,

Sven Iver Steen
Managing Partner

Being a preferred employer for both existing and future employees is one of AdeB's main goals in the current strategy period. To achieve this goal AdeB has included several measures in the company's policies and processes relating to human rights, the individual employee and the environment. As a law firm, we are committed to doing money laundering for matters we take. Both AdeB and our customers expect that we have an extensive focus on anti-corruption.

A safety representative in our firm is elected for a two-year period and must carry out the statutory work environment courses. A thorough introduction to the main themes within the HSE work is presented and after the course one can actively participate and contribute in a good way in the HSE. The safety representative conducts annual safety review where all employees provide feedback on the physical working environment. The safety representative is a mandatory member of the company's Working Committee, which is a joint selection of employees and owners with the intention to improve the working environment in the company. The Working Comittee is participating in the planning and organization of the health, safety and environment (HSE) work.

According to the Working Environment Act § 3-5, the employer is obligated to undergo training in health environment and safety. The obligation is personal and may not be delegated. The Managing Partner/CEO has completed the course.

A defibrillator can be found in the main reception on the ground floor and on the 4th floor. A number of employees have completed training courses in first aid and the use of the defibrillator. The course is offered once a year.
The company has good personal insurance policies, including treatment insurance that offers guaranteed examination and treatment within 14 business days, with no deductible.

AdeB has established guidelines for warning of unacceptable conditions. The guidelines are well known and available for the employees. The company's Managing Partner has specifically stated that we have zero tolerance for sexual harassment, and has in connection with "#me too", urged our employees to report experienced or known sexual harassment. No incidents of sexual harassment are reported.

The partnership in Business law companies are dominated by men. In our current strategy our ambition is to increase the number of female partners and we aim towards a specific number of multiple female partners. The increase will be done through internal promotion and external recruitment.

The company has updated the privacy manual adapted to the new GDPR privacy legislation that will take effect in May 2018.

Within the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR), our main partner is “Sykehusklovnene” (The European Federation of Hospital Clown Organizations), to which we provide financial support and pro-bono legal services. Sykehusklovnene's aim is that "All children admitted to hospitals will receive visits from hospital clowns", and they provide positive experiences and a breathing space for children and youngsters in an otherwise difficult period in their lives.

As part of our CSR efforts, we work pro bono in situations / cases where it is believed that people or organizations have been the victims of injustice. To increase this work AdeB has appointed a CSR responsible partner.

The sick leave in the company has been very low for many years, and there has been no work accident or accidents that have resulted in material damage or personal injury. The sick leave, short-and long-term (leave), is stated in the company's annual report.
The company's goal is to be a workplace that encourages equality between women and men both by employments and otherwise. A total of 42 % of the company's employees are women. The company has a recruitment and human resources policy to ensure equal opportunities and rights and prevent discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity, national origin, descent, skin colour, language, religion and belief.

AdeB has signed a collective agreement with the associate group to regulate and ensure a good follow-up of the working hours and overtime and has implemented a weekly follow-up and control of overtime work.

Employee representatives in the Board are chosen by fellow employees, while the remaining Board members are elected by the shareholders. The employees in the Board have the same roles, responsibilities and tasks as the other Board members. They all have the responsibility to protect the company in the best possible way and they all have the same rights and duties of the Board to protect the company's interests. The employees, however, will be able to add a somewhat different focus than the other Board members, and can also contribute in a constructive way with their knowledge of the company’s inner life.

The company has hired a number of students who work on an hourly basis as needed. The wages for the students are well above the minimum wage in Norway.

The company has prepared a quality manual that describes the company's quality assurance system, containing the main routines that each employee shall comply with in connection to their work.

AdeB has introduced a various range of video conference systems which causes less travel and less polution. As many internal meetings between our offices as possible are held online. All employees have Skype with video opportunity on their own PC which also makes communication and co-production with customers possible, without the need for travel and physical presence.

The company's administrative archive is digital and documents are produced and stored with a minimum of needs for print to paper.

The company got its first environmental certification the 8th of February 2013 as an Eco-lighthouse company and recertified 15th of March 2016. Eco-Lighthouse is a national certification for environmental management aimed at businesses in both private and public sectors. The certificate is valid for 3 years. Through the annual environmental report, the company must document its environmental performance.

To be certified the company must satisfy a number of requirements within the work environment, procurement, energy, transport and waste management.

By first-time certification as Eco-lighthouse in 2013, the company recycled 52% of its total waste. In 2017 the percentage recycled waste was 82 %. The company does not pollute the external environment through our daily operations.

The company has developed ethical rules that apply to all employees and partners in the company. All new employees are made familiar with the set of rules that is an attachment to the employment agreement. Everyone is committed to maintain knowledge of the rules and any changes that are made. The ethical rules state that no one must take actions that can bring them in a relationship with customers, suppliers or others of the company's connections, which may cause questions about the company’s or individual’s independent position and objective conduct.