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It’s almost a year now since HRH the Prince of Wales launched the Legal Sector Alliance. The LSA is an inclusive movement of law firms and organisations committed to working collaboratively to tackle climate change by reducing their carbon footprint and adopting environmentally sustainable practices. Members of the LSA commit to meeting 6 principles, including carbon footprint measurement and reporting, as well as engaging with clients, staff and suppliers on the issue. LSA members also attempt where possible to influence decision makers on matters of climate change law and policy. To date around 130 law firms have signed up, including most of the larger firms, representing around 25% of the legal profession in private practice. In a communiqué issued ahead of last month’s G-20 Pittsburgh Summit, the LSA called on world leaders to implement more effective legislation to support the commitments they make to tackling climate change. Closer to home, the LSA is embarking on a national roadshow, with a series of regional events running throughout October, that will showcase the business benefits of taking a proactive approach to climate change. The LSA roadshow reaches Birmingham next Thursday 15th October and I would strongly urge Midlands law firms of all shapes and sizes to attend – it’s important. Visit www.legalsectoralliance.com for details. We all know times are hard, but this is simply good business practice. For law firms, like much of the professional services sector, the biggest source of carbon emissions is energy consumption from the buildings they occupy. Driving down energy consumption through efficiency measures is not just common sense, it has the twin benefits of reducing both the carbon footprint and energy bills. What’s more, many clients are now expecting firms to make serious progress in this area; not least as a requirement of their own procurement processes. Combine this with increasing pressure from employees who want to be part of an environmentally responsible business and the arguments for sitting back and doing nothing are looking very thin indeed. The legal profession has taken a lead. The LSA has worked hard to share best practice amongst law firms and provides an online toolkit full of case studies and other resources to help the process. Crucially, it has also developed a methodology for law firms to monitor and report their carbon emissions in a consistent way. A standardised approach to carbon accounting is something the government has been very keen to introduce for all businesses. Only last week, as required by the Climate Change Act, we saw the publication by DECC and Defra of guidance on the calculation of greenhouse gas emissions to assist with reporting. More next week. For further information please contact: Andrew Whitehead, Partner
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