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13 October 2023 / Andrew Magowan
Issue: 8044 / Categories: Features , Profession , ESG
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ESG requires bravery—otherwise you’re greenwashing

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Bravery is the key to ensuring you don’t end up daubed in greenwash, says Andrew Magowan
  • Focusing on three key things when evaluating anything from a sustainability perspective helps. These are: prioritising; asking questions; communicating openly & honestly.
  • Purely focusing on rules and regulation can be, at best, a wasted opportunity. But at worst, it’s a dereliction of our duties as lawyers.

Question: what is a lawyer’s natural habitat? Where are they generally most comfortable?

I’m sure there’ll be a range of answers among everyone reading this. But I reckon a fair number will picture lawyers being happy in detail—happy in interpreting, making sense of and applying complicated, technical requirements. After all, isn’t that what all those years of reviewing cases and legislation trained us all to do?

And there is a lot of truth in that. When I see lawyers involved in sustainability, I see them getting bogged down in the ‘detail’ of helping businesses meet ever increasing reporting obligations in each of the jurisdictions they’re operating in.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Freeths—Heather Gibson

Freeths—Heather Gibson

Freeths strengthens national tax team with Heather Gibson appointment

Debevoise & Plimpton—Mary Lavelle

Debevoise & Plimpton—Mary Lavelle

Debevoise expands London secondaries team with addition of Mary Lavelle

Excello Law—Hestia Private Client

Excello Law—Hestia Private Client

Excello Law welcomes ex-Irwin Mitchell team to launch Hestia Private Client

NEWS
NLJ's latest Charities Appeals Supplement has been published in this week’s issue
A client cannot use a costs assessment to investigate whether their solicitor received commission on an after-the-event (ATE) insurance premium, the Court of Appeal has held
Law firms cannot be compelled to disclose documents protected by unwaived legal professional privilege (LPP) during misconduct investigations, the High Court has clarified
Solicitors have urged regulators not to impose unnecessary cost and complexity on third-party litigation funding
International demand for UK legal services is surging, with exports at record levels, according to Law Society research
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