Herbert Smith Freehills LLP

ESG

Leonie is a senior associate specialising in ESG (environmental, social and governance) and sustainable financing in the Madrid office. She advises companies and funds on matters relating to sustainability reporting and due diligence, particularly pursuant to the SFDR, EU Taxonomy, CSRD, ISSB and CSDDD. She also advises on the review of external communications to analyse clients’ greenwashing and social-washing risk profiles and the development, implementation and maintenance of resilient ESG frameworks. Her other focus lies on sustainable and impact investing in illiquid asset classes and the implementation of the EU Sustainable Finance framework for funds and asset managers across Europe.

Before moving to focus on ESG, Leonie was a finance lawyer advising lenders, borrowers, sponsors, ECAs and governments on structured finance transactions including project finance, acquisition finance and real estate finance in a variety of sectors, both in the Iberian market and in emerging markets.

In the past decade, she has worked as external counsel in Latin America, the United Kingdom and continental Europe, giving her an insight into the cultural and business considerations faced by clients operating in these markets.

Spanish, English, Dutch, Portuguese, French, Italian

She is a member of the Ilustre Colegio de la Abogacía de Madrid (ICAM – Madrid Bar Association), the Law Society of England and Wales and the Law Society of Ireland.