CORPORATES SERVE UP FOR CHARITY

THE last thing anyone would expect to see in the heart of Brisbane's CBD is a hard-hitting match of beach volleyball, but a few gutsy corporates were determined to make it happen for a good cause.

A number of teams including corporate and finance specialist firm Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) served up on the day to support the Cherish Women's Cancer Foundation event, the annual Corporate Battle.

The event was a two-on-two preliminary competition played out on a miniature beach volleyball court right outside the 111 Eagle Street building, with the official matches set to take place next April.

According to NRF Partner Marshall Bromwich (pictured left), the day was a phenomenal success, both in raising awareness for the charity and also in encouraging people to sign up for the main event next year.

"For us the [Corporate Battle] gives us an opportunity to give back to the community," says Bromwich.

"Hopefully we can encourage a lot of other law firms and corporates around the Brisbane area to get involved and participate in the event, to raise as much money for Cherish as we can."

Bromwich says his firm's participation in the event was a great testament to its charitable and socially responsible constitution.

"We have a very well established corporate social responsibility policy both nationally and internationally and there are a number of different charities and not-for-profit events that we support," he says.

"It's a great way to build camaraderie and gives us an opportunity to connect with other people in the firm that we might not often get the chance to deal with on a day-to-day basis."

NRF went up against one of its clients, Ray White, for the preliminary match-up after the gauntlet was thrown down for a beach court challenge.

Bromwich joined forces with Special Counsel Scott Francis to take on Ray White legal counsel Anna Tichborne and CFO Nicole Glen of Loan Market in the prelude match.

Although there was no official win, Bromwich admits the NRF team still feel like victors.

"We came on board with the event after being challenged by our clients Ray White ... lawyers are nothing if not competitive," says Bromwich.

"From a psychological perspective we were clearly the winners, but officially we will just have to wait and see."

To register for the official Corporate Battle set to take place in April or to find out more information about the Cherish Women's Cancer Foundation, click here.