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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

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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