Olek Law Annual Benefit Report

A look at how we put our benefit‑company purpose to work in 2025 — mentoring start‑ups, supporting purpose‑driven clients, and giving back to people and the planet.

§ 01

Our Public Benefit Purpose

Why we exist beyond the practice of law.

Our purpose is to help start‑up and scaling businesses, especially those that are local and purpose‑driven, to thrive. We do that by advising local and mission-driven founders and entrepreneurs, supporting community efforts to improve the climate and grow entrepreneurship, and donating our money and time to climate‑focused causes.

Each section that follows reports on a specific dimension of that purpose during the 2025 fiscal year.

§ 02 · What We Did in 2025

Community & Mentorship

Hours and seats given to early‑stage founders and the regional climate‑tech community.

01 We mentored start‑up businesses at MTech and the Maryland Innovation Center, providing legal guidance and strategic counsel to early‑stage ventures. 9 STARTUPS MENTORED
02 Served on the Board of Baltimore Climate Tech, advancing climate‑focused technology initiatives in the Baltimore region.
03 Participated in DC, New York, and San Francisco Climate Weeks, facilitating cooperation between climate‑focused professionals.

Startups mentored
at MTech & MIC

Climate Weeks attended
DC · NY · SF

§ 03

Purpose‑Driven Clients

Reduced rates and dedicated counsel for mission‑aligned ventures.

01 Offered discounted legal rates to climate‑focused and purpose‑driven businesses.
02 Provided legal counsel to a company seeking funding for community solar, advancing clean‑energy access.

§ 04

Environmental Stewardship

How we run the firm itself.

01 We selected a LEED Silver‑certified, transit‑accessible office space — minimizing our energy footprint and making it easier for everyone to commute without a car.

§ 05

Charitable Giving

1% for the Planet — every year, no exceptions.

As a 1% for the Planet member, we donated more than 1% of our gross receipts to the following environmental organizations during 2025.

Twelve organizations across climate, conservation, environmental law, and active‑transportation advocacy received support this year.

1%For the Planet · Member

Natural Resources Defense Council
Earthjustice
Washington Area Bicyclists Association
People for Bikes
Rails to Trails Conservancy
Chesapeake Climate Action Network
League of American Bicyclists
Blue Water Baltimore
Howard County Conservancy
Friends of MD State Forests & Parks
Environmental Law Institute
Green Amendments: For the Generations

§ 06

Governance & Innovation

Strengthening accountability and adopting new tools responsibly.

01 Initiated the process of B Corp certification through B Lab.
02 Updated client engagement letters to address responsible AI use in legal services — covering transparency, confidentiality safeguards, and human oversight.

§ 07

Challenges

Our biggest challenge in 2025 was keeping up with the ever‑changing landscape of Artificial Intelligence. We became students of AI policy and legal ethics rules and thought carefully about how we responsibly use AI.

We updated our engagement letters and reviewed our security and privacy configurations to ensure that we are compliant.

We also developed protocols to minimize energy use by AI systems.

§ 08

Third‑Party Standard

How we measure ourselves against an independent yardstick.

We selected the B Impact Assessment (developed by B Lab) as our third‑party standard and have begun the certification process.

The BIA is developed by an entity independent of the Company, and its methodology is publicly transparent. The Company has no material financial or governance relationship with B Lab. We expect to complete the B Impact Assessment in the coming reporting period.

Questions about this report?

We're happy to discuss anything in the report, or how we can help your purpose‑driven business with the same kind of pragmatic, operator‑minded legal counsel we bring to every client.

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