Kirkland & Ellis International LLP launched its global ESG and impact practice in 2020 with over a quarter of the team operating out of the London office. The firm assists clients with innovative compliance strategies for the upcoming EU, UK and US ESG regulations. This includes advice to private equity sponsors, as evidenced by its pro bono support to Initiative Climate International and Invest Europe, among others.

The firm is supporting leading alternative asset manager TPG on the SFDRs and proposed SEC regulations. The work has included important advice on the climate aspects of the formation of the Rise Climate Fund, which has a mandate to invest in climate change mitigation companies. For Climate Adaptive Infrastructure, a UNPRI signatory, the team assisted with the formation of the Climate Adaptive Infrastructure Fund which seeks to address the climate crisis through capital. Also of note is Pegasus Capital Advisor’s deployment of the Subnational Climate Fund and Global Fund for Coral Reefs, for which the team provided holistic advice on the application of the SFDR. 

As a member of the Law Firm Sustainability Network, the firm demonstrates its commitment to promoting environmental sustainability in the industry. Through this, the firm has supported the Earth Hour initiative which aims at reducing global power consumption. Internal steps to reduce its emissions include a collaboration with Hawkeye Energy Solutions to measure and improve energy efficiency in the firm’s data centres, which has resulted in an emissions reduction of 17,638 metric tons of CO2.

The Kirkland ESG & Impact attorneys in London are known as market leaders in the areas of climate change, sustainable finance and business and human rights, and when it comes to rapidly analysing and developing cutting-edge compliance strategies for the wide-ranging EU ESG regulations coming into force, such as the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, Taxonomy Regulation, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and the proposed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. The EU is widely considered to have the most ambitious ESG regulatory agenda of any governmental authority, and its laws often shape markets far beyond the bloc’s borders. Accordingly, Kirkland’s position on the front line of EU regulation significantly enhances its ability to serve clients operating in other jurisdictions.

Among law firms, Kirkland’s ESG & Impact practice stands out for its size, its support from senior Firm leadership and partners in a range of practice groups (including Capital Markets; Investment Funds; Government, Regulatory, & Internal Investigations; Antitrust; Environmental; Labour; Employee Benefits; and Technology & Intellectual Property, among others), its cross-jurisdictional strength, and the breadth of its practice, representing a wide spectrum of private fund, financial, and corporate clients on the full range of ESG issues impacting their businesses. Our ESG experience is wide and deep, and we are known in the market for our ability to embed ESG best practices within our client’s businesses, considering business imperatives, value, regulatory requirements, and ESG ambition.