City lawyers are major supporters of London's community groups, doing more volunteer work than any other professional sector alongside accountants, research has revealed.

However, the study commissioned by Heart of the City, an initiative to encourage City and Dockland firms to get more involved in their local community, also showed that overall levels of corporate volunteering have remained static, despite 2005 being the 'Year of the Volunteer.'


Some 40% of the organisations questioned said it is hard to find corporate volunteers for important projects.


Robert Gill, chief executive of LawWorks, formerly the Solicitors Pro Bono Group, said he was not surprised that lawyers performed well.


'I wouldn't have thought the amount of pro bono work being done by lawyers has remained static,' he added. 'The number of cases we're dealing with and the number of volunteers we get has increased year on year.'


Overall, the high street banking sector was seen as doing the most to contribute to and support London's community groups, followed by retailers and law firms.


Link: www.theheartofthecity.com