Green Guide Profile: A&L Goodbody LLP

Ireland

A&L Goodbody’s energy, infrastructure and natural resources group, led by project finance expert Ross Moore, works closely with the firm’s environment and planning group, led by Alan Roberts, to advise clients on a range of sustainability issues, including sustainability reporting, environmental due diligence, sustainable finance, and transactions in the renewable energy sector. In the latter segment, the firm handles a number of wind, solar, and green hydrogen projects, both onshore and offshore.

Currently, the team is advising BOC Gases on the joint development with Bord Na Mona of one of Ireland’s first renewable hydrogen plants at the 84 MW Mount Lucas Wind Farm. Another client is Codling Wind Park, a joint venture between EDF and Fred Olsen, for which the team is advising on the 1.3 MW Codling Bank offshore wind farm in Ireland. For EDF Renewables Ireland Limited, it recently handled the acquisition of a 50 percent stake in the 1.35 GW Western Star and 1.3 GW Emerald floating offshore wind projects.

To consolidate its expertise, the firm has a cross-departmental ESG and sustainability steering group chaired by Laura Mulleady and supported by ESG and sustainability lead Jill Shaw, who also leads the content development, education and knowledge working group of the Green Team Network, a forum that supports member firms’ in their sustainability goals.

Shaw also lectures on sustainable finance as part of the Law Society of Ireland’s Diploma in Finance Law, while Roberts is a lecturer on planning, environmental, and real estate issues at Irish Law Society conferences and is a member of the Irish Environmental Law Association.

The firm is a member of the Chancery Lane Project and continues to be involved in thought leadership through several publications, including an ESG & Sustainability bulletin. It also authored a chapter on Ireland in the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative’s Primer on Climate Change.

A&L Goodbody’s cross-departmental ESG & Sustainability Group is chaired by Laura Mulleady, one of ALG’s insurance partners, and supported by a dedicated ESG & Sustainability Lead, Jill Shaw. The group comprises of partners from a broad range of practice areas across the firm, including:

  • Corporate Advisory – Stephen Quinlivan and Mark Ellis
  • Disputes and Investigations – Chloe Culleton
  • Employment – Noeleen Meehan
  • Energy – Ross Moore
  • Environmental – Alan Roberts
  • Finance – Niamh McMahon and Michelle Daly
  • Financial Services and Regulation – Laura Mulleady, Lorena Dunne, Sinead Lynch and Stephen Carson
  • Real Estate – Andrew Ion

Members of the group have been working with clients to navigate the rapidly changing legal and regulatory landscape in respect of environmental, social and governance issues.

Key areas of focus include:

  • Sustainability reporting, disclosure and due diligence requirements.
  • Climate change, biodiversity and resource efficiencies with mitigation and adaptation being key areas of focus in terms of accelerating the transition towards a low-carbon and climate resilient future.
  • Dynamic social issues such as employee, supply chain and community engagement, as well as human rights and supply chain management.
  • Good governance issues such as business conduct and culture. These include ethics, anti-bribery and corruption, anti-competitive behaviour, board composition and independence and executive remuneration.

The group is also supported by ALG’s ESG Champions group, which comprises of solicitors, associates, senior associates, senior knowledge lawyers and knowledge consultants representing all practice areas across the firm.

Further information on the members of our ESG & Sustainability Group can be found here.

A&L Goodbody LLP (ALG) is internationally recognised as one of Ireland’s leading law firms delivering the full range of corporate legal services. Since our establishment more than 100 years ago we have been at the heart of some of the most significant assignments in the history of the Irish State.

With 116 partners and a staff of c.1,000, we are an “all-island” law firm, with offices in Dublin and Belfast. We also have a strong international presence with offices in London, New York, San Francisco and Palo Alto.

Our client base comprises domestic and international clients including State and semi-State entities; leading national and global businesses; multi-national corporations; banks, funds and other entities within the financial services sector.

We deliver the most extensive range of specialist legal services available in Ireland through our specialist practice and industry sector groups including our ESG & Sustainability Group. International legal directories place us at the top of the market in all of our practice areas. We are ranked Band 1 in 19 practice areas (by Chambers Europe and Chambers Global combined), more than any other Irish law firm. Our longstanding working relationships with top international law firms in all jurisdictions are of benefit to our clients who work on a global basis.

With businesses increasingly focused on ESG and sustainability issues, ALG is taking a holistic view to supporting clients in achieving their climate and broader sustainability goals. Our cross-departmental ESG & Sustainability Group brings together expertise across the spectrum of environmental, social and governance matters that corporates need to be considering, offering a streamlined approach to assist clients in navigating the rapidly changing legal and regulatory landscape.

For further information on our ESG & Sustainability Group and offering, please visit our dedicated webpage: https://www.algoodbody.com/esg-and-sustainability

Has your firm established a dedicated ESG/climate change/sustainability practice, team or task force?

Yes, we have cross-departmental ESG & Sustainability Group. This group is chaired by Laura Mulleady, one of ALG’s insurance partners, and supported by a dedicated ESG & Sustainability Lead, Jill Shaw. The group is comprised of partners whose practice areas are most impacted by legislation and emerging policy relating to ESG and sustainability matters. This group is supported by an ESG champions group comprised of associates and knowledge lawyers at all levels with a specific interest in ESG and sustainability related issues. The champions group plays an important role in supporting knowledge sharing across practice groups.

What type of work do you handle in connection with “green change”?

ALG’s Energy, Infrastructure and Natural Resources group and Environmental and Planning group are at the forefront of delivering the Green Deal and Climate Action Plan targets in Ireland. Expertise in regulation, new developments, sustainable financing and transactions in both more established technologies and importantly emerging technologies and other low-carbon energy solutions makes us the go-to partner on the island of Ireland in the renewable energy sector. We have acted for a number of lenders on project and utilities financing in the renewable energy sector, including a significant number of onshore wind projects, solar projects, battery storage projects and projects with green corporate offtake and green retail supply arrangements.

More broadly ALG is taking a holistic approach to advising on green change, with a particular focus on clients’ capital, investments, governance, products, market disclosures and risk management frameworks. Our AMIF, insurance and finance practices have been advising on sustainable investments and financings that direct the flow of capital towards green and sustainable initiatives more broadly. For example, our AMIF practice advised a number of clients in designing products with a sustainability focus. This includes advising on the establishment of over 200 UCITS and AIFs which disclose under Article 8 or 9 of SFDR. Our finance practice is regularly involved in documenting green loans and sustainability linked loans. In guiding clients through the evolving landscape of green and sustainable lending, the team assists clients in meeting their sustainability objectives and fostering responsible lending practices. In addition, our insurance practice also provides advice, Board and executive training and other support to insurance sector clients on key topical developments in this space.

Would you like to highlight a particular area of strength?

We feel a particular area of strength is our ability to come together quickly as an ESG group to advise, for example, large financial institutions on topical issues that span the expertise of multiple practice groups and draw in regulatory, environmental, banking, corporate governance, and employment expertise, in a seamless fashion.

With the introduction of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive at the start of 2023 and the publication of the IFRS International Sustainability Reporting Standards we have been seeing an increase in advisory work relating to sustainability reporting and due diligence. ALG’s corporate advisory, banking, insurance and AMIF teams have all provided advice to clients on these matters and we expect this to continue as more corporates are required or voluntarily decide to provide sustainability information within their annual reports.

Has your firm implemented any internal best practises?

We have submitted our science-based targets for approval by the Science Based Targets Initiative which will provide a clear pathway to reducing our overall Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions by 50% by 2030 from a 2019 base year.

We have taken a wide range of actions to introduce best practices across our business operations. Below are some examples of the environmental practices that we have undertaken.

Redevelopment of our building

In 2023, we began a full redevelopment of our headquarters at North Wall Quay in Dublin which should support ALG’s climate goals by being Ireland’s first true net zero carbon office as defined by the World Green Building Council. We are creating a unique, best in class, sustainable building that will cater for the firm’s ambitious growth plans and facilitate a new way of agile working. North Wall Quay will be aligned to leading global sustainability standards including: a BER A3 energy rating, LEED Platinum, Wired Score Platinum, Well Gold, NZEB Compliance and Cycle Score. The building will be fossil fuel-free in its normal operations with all energy generated through electricity through solar panels on the roof.

Communicating with our clients

  • Where possible, we will take a digital-first approach to all communications. This means we will conduct communications with clients via email or phone over communicating using paper, unless requested by our client.
  • We will use technology over printed materials in face-to-face meetings unless requested by our clients.
  • We are launching a pilot of a digital business card which, if eventually launched firm wide, will eliminate the use of paper business cards.

Minimising unnecessary travel or where necessary, travelling in a sustainable manner

    • Sustainable travel policy
      Our sustainable travel policy sets out measures aimed at reducing our business travel (air and land travel) employee related emissions. It provides guidance on how we will implement and track our progress against carbon emission reduction targets in line with our science-based targets.
    • Virtual meetings
      We will conduct all meetings virtually unless requested by our clients to meet in person. We have invested in state-of-the-art audio-visual technology in our meeting rooms enabling seamless communication, collaboration and information sharing in virtual meetings.
    • In-person meetings
      If clients request an in-person meeting, we encourage the use of sustainable travel options, for example, by using public transport or e-taxis.

In general, for in-person client meetings, whether we are travelling to the clients or vice versa, we encourage the use of public transport for travel. We have limited on-site parking available and parking spaces must be booked in advance.

  • Promoting sustainable travel among our partners and employees
    We promote and encourage the use of sustainable travel options for commuting to work, including:

    • Limiting the number of employee car parking spaces.
    • Providing secure bicycle parking facilities, and enhanced shower and changing facilities.
    • Promoting the Cycle to Work programme and the Taxsaver travel card scheme.
  • Prevention or minimisation of waste
    • The objective of our waste management programme is to ultimately reduce our overall waste generated on-site, but where this is not possible, then to recycle at least 90%.
    • We have recently introduced a branded reusable cup for our people to purchase at a subsidised cost with the aim of reducing the number of compostable cups we use.
    • We have an active Green Committee who deliver regular education and awareness campaigns to our employees about responsible recycling and disposal of waste, and how we can continue to reduce our paper usage levels.
    • We have reduced our paper usage by 75% on our 2019 figures. We have Secure ID printing installed on our printers meaning an employee ID number must be input to enable printing. This acts as a disincentive to printing. All of our printers are defaulted to double sided printing, and we no longer permit the use of personal desktop printers.
  • Use of recycled products and/or recycling facilities
    • Segregation of waste – in each of the dining and coffee dock areas we have waste stations which are divided in to three receptacles: one for general waste, one for recyclables, and one for food/compostable waste. We have information notices situated at each station reminding people what items may be placed in each bin.
    • Our confidential shredding is taken for recycling each week.
    • IT waste – laptops and phones are refurbished and put back in to circulation where possible. Where not possible, we recycle them with our third party vendors.
  • Energy efficiency in building operations and/or use of energy-efficient equipment
    • Our environmental and energy management systems are certified to ISO14001 and ISO50001 respectively. Both systems are subject to continual internal audits and are also audited annually by an accredited certification body. These systems require us to extensively monitor our performance on sustainability and environmental issues.
    • Our Dublin, Belfast and London offices purchase 100% renewable electricity.

Has your firm joined any external ESG-related projects, networks or initiatives?

  • We are members of Business in the Community (BITC) – a network-based organisation that inspires and enables businesses to bring about a sustainable, low carbon economy and a more inclusive society where everyone thrives. We are signatories of the BITC Low Carbon Pledge, the first dedicated pledge generated by Irish business to set industry standards on sustainability and reduce carbon usage.
  • We are a member of the Chancery Lane Project, a collaborative initiative of international legal and industry professionals.
  • We are a supporter of CATALYST, a global non-profit which works with leading companies to build workplaces that work for women.
  • We are a founding member of OUTLaw, an LGBTQ+ network for law firms.
  • We are proud supporters of Career L.E.A.P., a work readiness training programme for young people aged 18-24 from marginalised backgrounds in the north east inner city. We provide work experience, training and mentoring and have employed three people from the programme on a fixed term basis. We have also provided four work placements over the last two years.
  • We are supporters of the Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick, and Dublin City University access programmes which support those from disadvantaged backgrounds to study law. In 2023 we introduced a target that 5% of all interviewees for our graduate programmes are from disadvantaged socio- economic backgrounds. We exceeded this in 2023 (7%) and five candidates were successful in attaining a summer internship.
  • We became an industry partner of P-Tech in 2023. P-tech is a collaborative educational programme that provides students in the north-east inner city opportunities to progress towards further education routes as well as direct to employment. In 2024 we facilitated a five week work placement for three students from the local community.
  • In addition to this, we deliver a number of week-long work experience programmes to students from disadvantaged schools to provide them with an insight into what working in a corporate law firm like ALG is like.
  • We are founding members of the DisAbility Legal Network with the aim of employing more people with disabilities into the legal sector.
  • We are supporters of the Trinity Centre for People with Disabilities (TCPID). The Centre provides people who have intellectual disabilities with the opportunity to participate in a higher education programme. We have employed one graduate from the programme as a permanent employee and have provide five work placements.
  • We are a founding signatory of Pro Bono Pledge Ireland (the Pledge) a commitment to reach 20 hours of free legal work for each legal professional.
  • We are a founding member of the Ukraine Ireland Legal Alliance (UILA) and coordinated the first collaborative legal outreach clinic for recently arrived Ukrainians in Ireland.

    What are your firm’s ESG-related goals?

In September 2022, ALG launched its new Responsible Business strategy for 2022-2024 called ‘Our future with purpose’. Our mission is to continue to use our skills and leadership to contribute positively to our society and environment. In addition, our ambition is to fully integrate ESG principles into every decision we make as a business. We will also be using an ESG framework to determine and implement our strategy. At the heart of our responsible business strategy are two material societal issues where we believe we have the greatest ability to influence:

  • We use our skills and knowledge to contribute positively to reducing inequalities in our society. We do this through our pro bono, community, human rights, and inclusive workplace practices.
  • We are committed to positively contributing to the tackling of climate change through how we run our business, how we deliver our services and the external initiatives we support. It is this latter pillar of our responsible business strategy that we are focussing on in this section of our proposal.

Is your firm involved in any relevant pro bono work?

Led by our Head of Pro Bono Eithne Lynch, we have the largest pro bono practice in Ireland with two full time solicitors; dedicated trainee rotation and a partnership with the National University College Galway for Law and Human Rights students to be placed with the team as part of their undergraduate studies for a period of 9 months.

We are a member of the UK Collaborative Plan for Pro Bono and Pro Bono Pledge Ireland. We report our progress under both plans which ask signatories to aspire to an average of 25 hours of legal pro bono work per lawyer per year. Last year we exceeded this target with an average of 29 hours delivered. Over and above achieving this target we are strategic in the mandates that we select which will deliver on this ambition of reducing inequalities and tackling the climate emergency.

Last year we reported externally for the first to time on our Pro Bono practice; setting out our areas of priority and key achievements – Pro Bono Impact Report 2023.  We delivered 14,100 hours of free legal advice to our pro bono clients and achieved 80% participation rate. Pro bono is firmly embedded in the culture of our firm; it has become part of our lawyer’s every day legal practice.

Our practice is split into two main disciplines –

  • Supporting the advancement of social enterprise and civil society – our solicitors use their subject matter expertise and skills for the benefit of organisations working to advance social change and secure a more sustainable future for all.
  • Access to justice and rule of law – we work in partnership with law centres and social justice organisations to address unmet legal need through direct representation of clients in areas of housing, international protection, and family reunification. We provide legal research, education and advice-based work to our pro bono partners and the people they serve.

We regularly advise civil society and social enterprises to realise their goals of a fairer, more equal society. Some notable examples include:

  • We partnered with Irish Rule of Law International to contribute to a compendium on the treatment of child sexual abuse. A team of 19 lawyers from our Dublin and Belfast office undertook a mapping of domestic and international framework on the protection of children from sexual abuse in Ireland. The report was presented to the Tanzania judiciary.
  • We supported the NOW Group’s expansion in Dublin; having previously supported their operation in Belfast. The NOW Group is a social enterprise supporting people with learning difficulties and autism into jobs with a future. Its services focus on supporting people into employment, training and volunteering. For every £1 invested in the NOW Group they have generated £20 in social value.

We have several sustained partnerships where we provide legal representation to persons who cannot afford to access a lawyer and where civil legal aid is not available. 60% of all legal work undertaken last year fell within this part of the practice. Some notable examples include:

  • We partner with the Irish Refugee Council to provide direct legal assistance to international protection applicants before the International Protection Office, family reunification and citizenship applications.
  • We partner with the KIND project (Kids in Need of Defence) to advice refugee children on their family reunification applications.
  • We partner with Mercy Law Resource Centre and Focus Ireland to advice families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
  • We review medical legal reports for Spirasi; the national centre for survivors of torture in Ireland.

Access to legal information and increasing legal literacy has become a key driver for us over the previous 12 months. We have continued our work with the Ukraine Ireland Legal Alliance and providing free legal clinics at the Ukraine Community hub and online.

Last year we created a new partnership with the UNHCR delivering outreach information sessions for recently arrived protection applicants at emergency reception centres.  Over 2.5 hours attendees are given information on their rights and entitlements, the protection process and what it means to receive permission to remain in Ireland. The session also provides information on family reunification and the support provided by various State and voluntary organisations to assist applicants to navigate the process and day-to-day life in Ireland. In less than 12 months we have reached more than 600 people.

Working with our peers to increase access pro bono support have been a longstanding goal of ours. We were delighted last year to launch a new network to enable our commercial clients to work with us on pro bono projects in 2023. Members of the network share the collective belief that the legal profession has a privileged role and a unique purpose and position in the legal system, in society, and in matters of justice.  As part of the goals of the network members will strive to:

  • foster a culture of commitment to pro bono in Ireland
  • promote and improve pro bono service and delivery
  • share knowledge, best practice, and resources to build and strengthen in-house pro bono services
  • collaborate to make the best use of our unique skill set and training for the benefit of others

We held our first collaborative event in November last year with members of the network delivering an afternoon session for newly formed social enterprises in areas of law such as employment, data protection, governance, and compliance – In House Pro Bono Lawyers Network.

Is your firm involved in any public outreach or client education?

We are extensively involved in ongoing client education and training in ESG related matters delivered across a broad range of training and educational initiatives, including roundtable discussions, interactive webinars, seminars, lectures and networking events. These are delivered in a variety of formats, from bespoke training to individual clients (at all levels of an organisation from legal teams to boards) to participating in industry body thought leadership and open access training.

We publish an ESG & Sustainability bulletin on a quarterly basis covering topical issues of interest to our clients. In addition, we continually provide updates on developments related to sustainability and ESG topics through our ESG & sustainability and knowledge websites.

We co-wrote the Ireland chapter in the Commonwealth Climate and Law Initiative’s Primer on Climate Change: Directors’ Duties and Disclosure Obligations.

James Grennan, head of ALG’s insurance practice, is a member of the Union Internationale des Advocats/ International Association of Lawyers (UIA) ESG project group. This is a task force the purpose of which is to raise awareness of ESG issues within the legal profession internationally and to establish and encourage compliance with ESG best practices for the legal profession across the globe. Established in 1927 and with members in 110 countries, the UIA is a global and multi-cultural organisation for the legal profession that facilitates professional development, learning and networking, and promotes the Rule of Law. Through its collective members (bars, federations, and associations) and individual members, the UIA brings together two million lawyers.

Lorena Dunne, a partner in ALG’s AMIF practice, is a long-standing member (and former Vice-Chair) of the ESG Policy, Legal and Regulatory Working Group of Irish Funds (the Irish funds industry association) and represents Irish Funds on the International Investment Funds Association (IIFA) ESG Working Committee.

Jill Shaw lectures on sustainable finance as part of the Law Society of Ireland’s Diploma in Finance Law.

Speaking engagements in 2023 include:

  • Insurance GC Event embedding ESG into insurers’ corporate culture where insurance partner, Laura Mulleady was joined by employment partner, Noeleen Meehan and ESG & Sustainability Lead, Jill Shaw.
  • As part of Trinity’s Green week ALG organised a panel discussion on biodiversity focusing on what businesses need to know. This session was moderated by our ESG & Sustainability Lead, Jill Shaw with Mark Thuillier, Senior Associate on our Planning and Environmental team one of the panellists.
  • Presentation to the Central Steering Committee of Compliance Ireland on general developments on areas of focus for ESG by ESG & Sustainability Lead, Jill Shaw.
  • ALG hosted the second annual Women in Energy event hosted by Alison Fanagan, Kristen Read and Aisling O’Donoghue.
  • ALG hosted its first Regulatory Enforcement Roundup event with ESG insights from Jill Shaw as ESG & Sustainability Lead.
  • Paul White presented at the ESG Summit on Sustainability Reporting and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
  • Jill Shaw presented to Compliance Ireland members on Sustainability Reporting and Due Diligence.
  • Presentation to Insurance Ireland providing an SFDR update on the Joint Delegated Regulation Consultation Paper presented by Laura Mulleady, Jill Shaw and Laura Scanlan.
  • Presentation to a pillar bank on a number of different topics including Sustainable Finance covering SFDR, Taxonomy Regulation and the Proposed European Green Bond Standard with Sustainable Finance topics presented by ESG & Sustainability Lead Jill Shaw and Knowledge Consultant Elizabeth White.
  • At ALG’s annual Corporate Crime & Regulation Summit, Jill Shaw moderated a panel discussion on leading the way in sustainability with insights from industry participants as well as Lorena Dunne and Kevin O’Neill.
  • Legislative updates presentation to a financial institution which included a section on ESG and sustainability developments presented by ESG & Sustainability Lead Jill Shaw.
  • ALG hosted a greenwashing webinar for industry, which included panellists from our Disputes and Investigations, Funds, Insurance and Regulatory Investigations practice areas.

Have there been any recent non-confidential stand-out matters that were particularly innovative, pioneering or complex?

Yes, quite a number:

  • We are advising/have advised on a number of onshore and offshore wind projects including:
    • Statkraft Ireland Limited on its acquisition of 3 onshore wind projects
    • Codling Wind Park on the 1.3GW Codling Bank offshore windfarm
    • Oriel Windfarm Limited in relation to the development of a proposed offshore windfarm
    • EDF Renewables Ireland Limited in respect of their acquisition of 50% of the shares in the Western Star and Emerald floating offshore wind projects
  • We are advising BOC Gases in relation to their co-development with Bord Na Mona plc of one of Ireland’s first-ever renewable hydrogen production facilities.
  • We advised InfraRed Capital Partners Limited, a leading international infrastructure investor on its €150m equity investment in JOLT Energy, an Irish-incorporated international EV charging business.
  • We advised Allied Irish Banks and La Banque Postale, on the project financing of: (i) a portfolio of grid-connected solar projects (the portfolio financing), and (ii) a stand-alone single asset financing of grid-connected solar project (the single-asset financing).
  • We are acting for a number of significant ETF issuers, including Amundi, DWS / Xtrackers and WisdomTree on the launch of a large range of sustainable and ESG focussed ETF products disclosing under Article 8 and 9 of SFDR.
  • We advised DWS Investment UK Limited on the establishment of a range of 7 thematic ETFs that specifically target United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
  • We were appointed fund counsel to existing ESG fund range of specialist sustainable fund manager, Osmosis Investment Management, on the back of the strength of our SFDR expertise.
  • We are advising Foresight Group on the establishment of the AIB Foresight SME Impact Fund aiming to invest in Irish and Northern Irish SMEs to help accelerate Ireland’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

When did ESG, climate change and/or sustainability become an area of focus at your firm?

We have been active in the renewable energy sector in Ireland since its infancy, 20-25 years ago. Our Energy and Natural Resources team together with our Environmental and Planning group (which was established over 30 years ago and advises on all environmental law issues including the Circular Economy) have spearheaded the firm’s focus on these issues.

As policy initiatives matured into legislation beyond these areas, beginning first for financial sector firms from about 2019 onwards, we began to see an increased focus on ESG matters and the sustainability agenda more broadly.  It follows that an increasing number of our practice groups and partners have been advising on ESG and sustainability issues, in particular over the last 3-5 years.  This led to the establishment of our ESG & Sustainability Group in early 2022 and later in 2022, to the hiring of a dedicated ESG & Sustainability Lead.  ESG and sustainability issues now impact all of our clients to some degree.

What has driven your firm’s involvement in a green transition? (Client demand? Business case? Personal attitudes/beliefs/initiatives?)

All of the above!

Do you have any strategic plans to expand your work or your initiatives in this area in the future?

On the client side, we continually look at opportunities to expand and differentiate our offerings. Our strategy is built “bottom up” based on our practice groups anticipating client needs.  We envisage our work expanding alongside client needs as ESG and sustainability regulation and enforcement continues to develop.

We are in the implementation phase of our Responsible Business strategy for 2022-2024 and we intend to build on the progress we have made to date and to continue to be ambitious in the goals that we set.

Where do you see the future of ESG/sustainability in the legal community (both in terms of legal offerings and firms’ best practices)?

We believe there is a great opportunity to collaborate more with our peers in the legal sector to tackle the environmental and social issues that we face. There are many opportunities where we can work together to share knowledge whether on industry specific initiatives or pro bono matters. We have seen first-hand the benefits of lawyers and industry working together in groups like the Chancery Lane Project. More recently we have also seen the collective impact for young people in supporting a cross industry social mobility programme like PTECH. We are open to collaborating and working with others on other initiatives that will help tackle environmental and social issues such as climate change and reducing inequalities in our society. In terms of legal service offerings relating to ESG and sustainability matters, we see these developing further in the future as businesses seek to navigate the rapidly changing legal and regulatory landscape in respect of environmental, social and governance issues.