How to Become a B Corp Law Firm: A Step by Step Guide

Your potential clients are doing their homework. They’re checking out your law firm’s website, scrolling through your bios, and reading about your case results. But another question they’re asking might surprise you: “Does this firm care about the same things I do?”

The answer matters more than ever. Today’s clients increasingly want to work with firms that stand for something meaningful and contribute to making the world a better place. B Corp certification offers a concrete way to prove you’re serious about this commitment.

B Corps are businesses that meet rigorous standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability—with third-party verification to back it up. While environmental lawyers led the way in this movement, we’re now seeing immigration attorneys, family law practices, and even BigLaw firms earn B Corp status to attract clients and employees who share their worldview.

Here’s what you need to know about becoming a B Corp law firm—and why it could be exactly what your practice needs to stand out.

Can a law firm be a B Corp? 

Absolutely. Law firms can become Certified B Corporations by meeting the same rigorous standards for social and environmental performance as any other business. Certification also requires a legal commitment to balancing profit with purpose.

Many firms are already using B Corp status as a powerful differentiator. It helps them attract values-aligned clients, recruit top talent, and stand out in a crowded legal market. It also provides verified, third-party validation that their firm is serious about making a positive impact beyond billable hours.

To earn certification through the nonprofit B Lab, your firm must excel in three core areas:

• • Social and environmental performance. Currently, you’ll need to score at least 80 points on the comprehensive B Impact Assessment, which evaluates how you treat employees, serve clients, support your community, and protect the environment.

*Important note: B Lab published updated standards on April 8, 2025, replacing the point-based system with Foundation Requirements and seven Impact Topics, effective 2026.

• • Accountability. You must legally commit to considering all stakeholders—not just profits—in business decisions. This typically requires benefit corporation status or amendments to governing documents.
  • Transparency. You’ll make your performance data publicly available through your B Corp profile, allowing clients and the community to verify your commitment to positive impact.

B Corp vs. benefit corporations: What’s the difference?

Many people confuse B Corp status with benefit corporations. A benefit corporation is a legal business structure that embeds stakeholder governance into its founding documents. B Corp certification is a rigorous third-party verification that proves a company is living up to those commitments through measurable performance standards. A firm can be both a benefit corporation and a Certified B Corp—but they aren’t the same thing.

Several law firms with B Corp status are using the certification to stand out. Nazareth Bonifacino Law Benefit LLC, a Clio customer, became a B Corp law firm. Their certification helps them connect with clients who want their legal fees supporting practices that align with their values—demonstrating how it can be a differentiator in today’s purpose-driven market. 

Why B Corp certification matters for law firms

The advantages of being a B Corp law firm go beyond having a logo on your marketing materials: 

• Build a practice that reflects your values. Most lawyers didn’t enter the profession solely to maximize billable hours. B Corp certification provides a concrete framework for making business decisions based on your firm’s core values—rather than profit margins alone. 

• Win values-driven clients. Legal excellence is expected from clients. What they really want is a firm that shares their values and demonstrates them in action. In a crowded market, B Corp certification signals a genuine commitment to ethical practices and positive impact, and it can be the deciding factor that wins you the work.

• Attract better talent. Top legal professionals, especially younger attorneys, want to work somewhere that takes responsibility for people and the planet as seriously as profit. Your B Corp status tells them this isn’t just talk.

• Gain access to an exclusive network. By becoming a B Corp law firm, you’ll connect with like-minded businesses through platforms like the B Hive—which links over 4,000 B Corps and 25,000 mission-aligned professionals for collaboration and knowledge sharing.

The bottom line? B Corp certification represents a shift to building a values-driven business. In a market where strong legal skills are expected, your commitment to verified impact becomes the differentiator that wins clients, attracts talent, and creates a practice you’re genuinely proud to be a part of.

How to become a B Corp law firm

Before you get started in becoming a B Corp law firm, you’ll want to take a few preparatory steps. First, confirm your eligibility—your firm must be legally incorporated, in operation for at least 12 months, and comply with local and national laws.

Next, assemble your team. Rally people from across your firm, including leadership, HR, and operations, to help collect information and streamline the process. Having buy-in from the start makes everything smoother.

Once you’ve completed the preparation, certification involves three main requirements:

1. Complete the B Impact Assessment 

The B Impact Assessment (BIA) measures your firm’s performance across five key areas: governance, workers’ rights, community impact, environmental impact, and stewardship of customers. The assessment is tailored to your company’s size, sector, and location. Law firms typically fall under the “Service with Minor Environmental Footprint” category.

You need 80 points out of 200 to qualify under the current standards. The assessment covers both day-to-day operations and impact business models that create positive change. Questions explore your pro bono work, environmental programs, diversity initiatives, and employee benefits.

Starting in 2026, B Lab’s new standards will replace the 80-point system with mandatory Foundation Requirements (eligibility, stakeholder governance, and risk assessment) and seven Impact Topics: purpose and stakeholder governance, fair work, justice, equity, diversity & inclusion, human rights, climate action, environmental stewardship and circularity, and government affairs and collective action. Rather than reach a minimum score of 80, companies will be required to meet minimum performance requirements across all Impact Topics.

Law firms can strengthen their scores by documenting pro bono work and community legal services, highlighting diversity and inclusion initiatives in hiring and leadership, and tracking comprehensive employee benefits and professional development programs. Environmental practices like paperless operations and sustainable office practices also contribute points, as does demonstrating how your firm increases access to justice or supports social causes.

2. Legal requirements

You’ll need to update your firm’s governing documents to legally commit to considering all stakeholders—not just owners—in decision-making. This involves embedding stakeholder governance principles into legal frameworks and signing the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence.

Legal requirements vary by jurisdiction and entity type, including for professional corporations (PCs) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs). B Lab provides a Legal Requirement Tool to help identify your firm’s specific path.

While you may be concerned with the idea of embedding stakeholder consideration into your law firm’s governing documents, consider that law firms already balance multiple stakeholders everyday. Duties to clients, courts, and partners all must be juggled with running a law firm. In many instances, a stakeholder has an established priority. Confidentiality regarding clients already takes precedence over convenience for lawyers. Candor towards a tribunal already takes precedence over a law firm’s business interests. More than most other industries, law firms are experienced in considering multiple stakeholders and navigating through conflicts. 

Considering multiple stakeholders does not remove the established priorities imposed by ethical rules and regulation. However, even the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (MPRC) permit lawyers to advise clients considering a broad scope of issues, not just legal issues. Comment 2 for Model Rule 2.1 states, “It is proper for a lawyer to refer to relevant moral and ethical considerations in giving advice.”  B Corp law firms can meet their ethical obligations while also including stakeholder considerations in their advice where appropriate.

Outside of ethical and regulatory obligations, law firms are free to support public good issues. Ginny Cascio Bonifacino, Esq.—Clio customer, Reisman Award winner for excellence in client service, and certified B Corp law firm owner —wrote that, “Some would say that an attorney’s ethical requirements support becoming a benefit corporation.” She cites the Rule’s idea of lawyers being “a public citizen” in her article on law firms as B Corporations for the Maryland State Bar Association. Lawyers’ duties to improve both the law and access to the legal system suggests a strong alignment with the sustainability goals of B Corps. Adding them as a part of your firm’s governance documents should not be viewed as radical. 

3. Commit to transparency

Finally, you’ll need to publish a public profile with your verified performance data on the B Corp Directory. Under the current standards, this includes your numerical score. Under the new standards, this includes your performance across the seven Impact Topics. This demonstrates your commitment to ongoing transparency about your impact and happens as part of the final certification process.

4. The verification process

After submission, an analyst reviews the company’s eligibility for B Corp Certification, followed by a verification process, during which the applicant provides information. The process typically takes 6-12 months, but can stretch up to 18 months, and your score may change during verification. 

5. Certification and ongoing requirements

Once certified, you’ll pay an annual fee based on gross revenue and recertify every three years. As of July 1, 2024, all recertifying B Corps must submit their updated B Impact Assessment six months prior to their Recertification Date. This ongoing process encourages continuous improvement and ensures you’re maintaining or increasing your positive impact over time.

Challenges to expect (and how to overcome them)

Like any meaningful change, pursuing B Corp certification comes with predictable obstacles. The upside? Other law firms have already figured out how to navigate these successfully, and their strategies can save you months of headaches.

• Partner resistance to stakeholder governance. Traditional law firm structures prioritize partner profits, so proposing stakeholder consideration can meet pushback. Address this head-on by showing how B Corp principles actually strengthen long-term profitability and firm sustainability. Present data on client retention, talent attraction, and the significant growth that B Corp law firms often achieve.

• The time and paperwork burden. B Corp certification is rigorous and can take anywhere from several months to over a year to complete. Avoid trying to handle this on top of everyone’s regular workload. Either appoint a dedicated internal team or consider engaging a B Corp consultant who can streamline the process and help anticipate documentation needs.

• Internal skepticism about ROI. Some partners will question whether the certification fees and ongoing requirements are worth it. Focus on business results rather than feel-good benefits. Share concrete examples of how B Corp status has helped similar firms win clients and retain talent.

These challenges may seem daunting, but they’re not insurmountable. The firms that push through these initial hurdles often find that the certification process itself made them a stronger, more intentional business.

Is B Corp certification right for your law firm?

B Corp certification isn’t right for every firm. Before you start the process, take an honest look at whether it actually makes sense for your practice.

Ask yourself several important questions

Are you genuinely mission-driven, or would this feel performative? Do your clients and employees care about values-based practices, or are they primarily focused on results and compensation? Are you willing to commit the significant time, resources, and ongoing accountability that certification requires? If you’re hesitating on any of these points, B Corp status might not fit your law firm’s current stage or goals.

Consider your alternatives

You don’t need formal certification to adopt values-based practices. Many firms successfully integrate social and environmental initiatives, improve workplace culture, and attract values-driven clients without the B Corp framework. You can implement stakeholder governance, measure your impact, and communicate your values—all of which benefit your practice regardless of certification status.

The key is authenticity. If B Corp certification feels like a natural extension of who you already are as a firm, it’s worth pursuing. If it feels like a stretch or purely a marketing play, focus on genuine values-based improvements first. Your clients and employees will notice the difference.

The final word on becoming a B Corp law firm

The legal world is changing. Clients increasingly choose lawyers who share their values, and employees want to work for innovative law firms that stand for something beyond billable hours. B Corp certification offers a proven framework to demonstrate your commitment to purpose alongside profit.

Achieving B Corp status requires significant investment—expect months of assessment, documentation, and potential governance changes. But the returns extend far beyond credentials. Certified B Corp law firms enjoy stronger client relationships, better talent retention, and can even command premium pricing for their values-aligned approach. Plus, you’ll join a global network of mission-driven businesses.

Ready to explore whether B Corp certification makes sense for your firm? Start with the free B Impact Assessment. It takes a few hours to complete, and gives you a clear picture of where you stand across the five impact areas. Even if you decide not to pursue certification, the assessment will show you concrete ways to strengthen your practice.

How do B Corp law firms differ from traditional law firms?

B Corp law firms legally commit to considering all stakeholders—workers, community, environment—in decision-making, not just profits. They undergo third-party verification of their social and environmental impact every three years.

Who manages B Corp certification?

B Corp certification is managed by the nonprofit B Lab, which evaluates companies’ positive impact on workers, communities, customers, and the environment through rigorous standards and ongoing accountability.

What are the basic B Corp requirements for law firms?

Your firm must be a for-profit entity operating for at least one year. Under current standards (through 2025), you need to score 80+ on the B Impact Assessment. Under new standards starting in 2026, you must meet Foundation Requirements and performance requirements across seven Impact Topics. All firms must commit to recertification every three years.

We published this blog post in June 2025. Last updated: June 10, 2025.

Posted in:
Business