‘I’m of the view that there’s no such thing as an ESG lawyer. What we can do, by educating the trainees as they come in, is help them to understand ESG, so that it can permeate their practices throughout their careers.’ Rachel Richardson, Macfarlanes
On the back of our third annual ESG report, key decision makers share their perspectives on key issues affecting law firms
Next gen
‘Whenever we discuss ESG with students and graduates, we’ve found that the subject always resonates with them, and they leave energised and excited at the prospect of practising law in this ever-evolving area. As ESG is a core strand to our aim to be a next-generation law firm and as we continue to embed this value proactively across the firm, we are uniquely positioned to speak to our clients, our future talent and our wider pool of stakeholders on sustainability.’
Sonali Siriwardena, global head of ESG, Simmons & Simmons
Honest messaging
‘We seek to make sure what we’re saying in collateral and on the likes of our website is fair and balanced, and that we can substantiate what we’re putting out. We don’t get external assurance on what we put out, but it’s important to check internally that you have evidence and can back up what you push out.’
Claire Rainsford, head of sustainability, Taylor Wessing
Future proofing
‘I’m of the view that there’s no such thing as an ESG lawyer. But I want to help create the ESG lawyers of tomorrow. It’s so broad – I don’t know that you’re ever going to have somebody who’s an expert in all of it, in sustainability, human rights, regulatory work, and so on. But what we can do, by educating the trainees as they come in, is help them to understand ESG, so that it can permeate their practices throughout their careers.’
Rachel Richardson, head of ESG, Macfarlanes
All things to all people
‘You’ll hear people saying there is no such thing as an ESG lawyer. I used to agree, but not anymore. An ESG lawyer is someone who can look across the piece. They might not be a specialist in everything, but they understand the principles of ESG and the wider regulatory and legal drivers. Much like a corporate M&A partner they will also know who to turn to for specialist support, manage cross-disciplinary teams, and will no doubt have their own deep specialisms that they can bring to bear.’
Doug Bryden, co-head of ESG and impact, Travers Smith
Keeping it real
‘There’s real pressure building on businesses to prove that they’re actually committed to doing what they say they are. We’re starting to see some reality gaps being called out by regulators and activists, particularly between c-suite announcements and their front-line implementation, and this will only increase over time.’
Jean-Pierre Douglas-Henry, managing director – sustainability and resilience London, DLA Piper
Finding balance
‘Our experience has been that as sustainability becomes more embedded in the core strategy of our clients, addressing each of the E, S and G areas with an integrated approach is critical to achieve long-term sustainable impact. In this respect, for example, good governance underpins good environmental and social performance. Accordingly, we have seen a balanced weighting in addressing ESG issues in both our advisory work and how we set our internal goals.’
Tim Wilkins, global partner for client sustainability, Freshfields
Top of mind
‘Definitely environmental, and specifically net-zero related climate initiatives, are still top of mind for our clients. As a result, they’re still top of mind for us in terms of what they need from us. So, one of the things we’re doing right now, for example, is we’ve hired a vendor to come in and give us a baseline of our carbon emissions so that we can know where to go from there. First of all, it is important to us but it’s also important to our clients and they’re asking us for that information. Then for our own purposes, we are still very much focused on employee wellness. It’s still a major issue for all law firms of our size and it’s essential for recruiting and for retention. It’s really important to the youngest and newest members of our workforce. I’ve had several candidates ask to speak to me specifically before making a decision about our external facing ESG programme as well, so they’re really interested in both the internal programme and what we’re doing for clients in this space.’
Danielle Reyes, co- chair of the ESG and impact practice, Goodwin
Greener than ever
‘Environment (E) is more important than ever, especially in light of the latest IPCC report, but there is a balance across all of E, S and G, with all factors important in decision making. If we look at the regulations, we continue to see those that are aimed at protecting the environment and biodiversity. However, there is an increasing focus on S, particularly in the EU, for example, with the introduction of new regulations, like the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the – not yet in force – Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. Both of which include reporting requirements around social elements such as impacts on communities, own workforce, workers in the value chain’s wellbeing and human rights.’
Diane Gilhooley, global co-head of environmental, social and governance, Eversheds Sutherland