We were proud and delighted to see so many LSA members recognised – both in the shortlists, and as winners – at this year’s Legal 500 ESG Awards. Congratulations to you all. At the LSA we also applaud and celebrate the work that smaller firms are doing who may not have the resources or opportunity to enter award schemes - your efforts are equally valued.
The LSA is keen to recognise unsung efforts, and next month we’ll be launching our own award: Climate Heroes. Keep an eye on LinkedIn for announcements, with more details in the June Bulletin.
Alongside the blossom and darling buds, May ushers in the annual no mow campaign. Now in its 9th year, No Mow May is a chance to celebrate biodiversity by simply doing nothing, and like so much of our work in sustainability it creates an outsized impact from a small act. If you are taking part in your own garden or spot a local park, verge, allotments, village green or churchyard, please send us your photos – we will be running a weekly roundup on LinkedIn.
We really value member feedback and engagement so please keep in touch – the more you share the better we can support firms in the LSA network. Do get in touch with Asia on manager@legalsustainabilityalliance.com.
Best wishes,
Amanda Carpenter
LSA Secretariat
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Wednesdays now mark the release of a new Climate Trunk infographic; a weekly instalment to inform and inspire your colleagues and help you embed sustainability throughout your firm.
This campaign is about so much more than 'just' visuals. Each week you can find out more about the topic in John Lang's helpful explainers on the Climate Trunk website, which includes additional context on key terms used and a further reading tree for each infographic; a relevant report, a suggested read, a resource and the link to an expert.
The tree represents our climate knowledge, as the infographic library grows, just like the tree, the branches of information will include ever-increasing detail. |
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No Mow May – Give Biodiversity a Boost |
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If your lawn is looking a little unkempt, you are in good company. No Mow May - Plantlife's annual campaign encouraging everyone with a patch of grass to leave the mower in the shed for the month, has been quietly transforming gardens, verges and churchyards across the country, and the results speak for themselves.
The principle is simple. When we stop cutting, wildflowers get the chance to do what they have always wanted to do: bloom. Daisies, clover and dandelions, often dismissed as weeds, become vital early-season sources of nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies at the moment they need it most. Longer grass also creates shelter for beetles, worms and small mammals, which in turn bring in the birds.
The scale of what has been lost makes the case urgent. Around 97% of the UK's flower-rich meadows have disappeared since the 1930s, and with them the ecosystems they supported. But with approximately 23 million gardens across the country, collective inaction in May becomes, paradoxically, one of the most powerful things we can do for nature.
No lawn is too small, and you need not sacrifice the whole thing, even leaving one corner to grow freely makes a genuine contribution. The Guardian this month reported on the movement's growing momentum, with gardens across England slowly reverting to something wilder and, many would argue, more beautiful.
If you are taking part – or simply find yourself less inclined to mow than usual – you can find out more on Plantlife's website. |
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A Call Out for Insights on Engagement
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Have you found effective ways to engage colleagues with your responsible business agenda? The Engagement Working Group is developing a toolkit for London Climate Action Week 2026 and would welcome as much input as possible. If you would like to join the effort, or just have a case study, useful resource or words of wisdom to share, please email manager@legalsustainabilityalliance.com. |
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Climate and Nature Frameworks – A New Approach to the LSA’s Strategic Reporting Working Groups |
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With the LSA’s 20th anniversary on the horizon in 2027, some important changes are underway in how the LSA and its members address the increasingly complex landscape of sustainability frameworks and reporting requirements. This is your chance to get involved. As agreed at a meeting on 28th April, the LSA will now be bringing together three previous working groups (namely, the Strategic Reporting Working Group, the TCFD/TNFD Working Group, and the Nature and Biodiversity Working Group) into one integrated structure. The objectives for doing this are to: - strengthen the effectiveness and impact of the working groups
- provide better linkages between related topics
- enable flexibility in how we address the evolving landscape
- be as time-efficient as possible for everyone involved
From now on, the LSA will have one overarching Strategic Frameworks Working Group, with task-focused sub-groups established as required. Initially, we are planning two sub-groups: a Technical Reporting Sub-Group, and a Nature Sub-Group. The LSA Secretariat will ensure close coordination between the overarching group and its sub-groups, so as to help the LSA deliver real impact. Please let us know (deadline 14th May) if you’d like to get involved in one of these new groups via this short form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/R6YXDR7 . The first meetings under this new structure will start from June. |
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An LSA Offsetting Collaboration With Social Justice at its Heart |
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Thank you to all firms who joined our LSA online event: The Future of Offsetting - Law Firms Collaborating for Social Impact. It was extremely useful to hear an update about how the Legal Charter 1.5 project is developing, with Save the Children Global Ventures, in Nandi Kenya. You can watch a short film about it here. We are delighted that there is already interest in an LSA collaboration to help scale this work.
If any more LSA firms are interested in collaborating to pool their offset budgets for a greater impact, please contact manager@legalsustainabilityalliance.com. As colleagues at Slaughter and May, Freshfields and Charles Russell Speechlys highlighted, this innovative collaboration offers a range of benefits - from price certainty underpinned by a robust framework agreement to strong credit integrity, enhanced employee engagement, and long-term sustainable development with child welfare at its core. |
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We were delighted to see so many LSA firms represented at the ceremony including winners:
As well as celebrating all of the firms doing such transformative work, we also want to congratulate Amanda Carpenter, Director of the LSA Secretariat, who won Environmental/Sustainability Champion of the Year. |
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Ask the Alliance – Network Support
Sustainability Linked Loans |
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On behalf of the LSA, we would like to thank all those who have generously given their time to help colleagues since our last bulletin. Please don't hesitate to send in your questions for the network to the email address below and we will ask the network for their thoughts. Contact: manager@legalsustainabilityalliance.com We have had one new query during April, set out below. Please help if you can – the LSA’s strength lies in the collective knowledge of our network, and by working together and sharing best practice, we can achieve even greater impact. We will pass on your comments or connect you, whichever is more appropriate. We will not share information publicly, or share your details without your consent. |
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We have been contacted by a member firm looking for insights on sustainability-linked loans. Are you considering, or do you already have, green or sustainability-linked loans – where interest rates or other terms are tied to the achievement of specific sustainability targets?
We would greatly value any information you can share on the benefits of these arrangements, for example in relation to achieving GHG emissions reductions. Let us know if you are willing to help via the email below or in the comments, and we can connect you directly or pass your insights on.
Last month's queries – in case you missed it!
Following the Law Society’s 2023 Guidance for Solicitors on advising clients about climate‑related risk, we are keen to understand how other LSA member firms have reflected this in their Statements of Work and Terms of Business.
We’ve seen a range of approaches across the sector, including some firms opting for a blanket exclusion of climate‑related advice. Before we finalise our own position, we’d really appreciate hearing how others have dealt with this point – particularly:
- whether you’ve included any specific wording or disclaimers;
- whether you reference the scope of climate‑related advice explicitly; and
- any considerations or challenges encountered during implementation.
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Please may I ask the mem bership for advice on sustainability in event management. We would like to understand what the latest thinking is on challenges, such as how to avoid printing name cards.
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Please get in touch via comms@legalsustainabilityalliance.com with your stories so that we can feature them here. |
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| | We are delighted to welcome McCann FitzGerald LLP to the LSA and look forward to working with them. |
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| | Staff from Pinsent Masons' Edinburgh & Glasgow offices helped with a spring clean of the Water of Leith on Earth Day this year. 29 staff members put waders on and helped the Water of Leith's Conservation Trust remove over 30 bags of rubbish from the river, giving nature its best chance to flourish. |
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| | Freeths has set out a clear Net Zero Transition Plan outlining its pathway to net zero by 2040. The firm emphasises that real progress comes from the cumulative effect of many small, consistent decisions – from energy use and travel to supplier engagement. The approach focuses on embedding sustainability into day-to-day operations rather than treating it as a separate initiative. |
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| | DLA Piper’s transition to smart meters in its London office could save the firm up to £125,000 per year, according to the firm’s latest annual report filed on Companies House. The energy management upgrade demonstrates how practical operational changes can deliver significant cost savings while reducing environmental impact. |
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Navigating the Changes in Strategic Reporting |
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Date: 21st May
Time: 12.30pm
Location: Online Reporting frameworks are constantly evolving, the planned consultations on SBTi, ISO, and GHG Protocol will mean changes for law firms and clients as they navigate their way through the standards landscape. This panel discussion and Q&A will provide LSA members with a chance to come up to speed with the new frameworks and the proposed changes.
Speakers:
Rosanna Sarene, Director, Radley Yeldar (RY)
Rebecca Ward, Sustainability Strategist, Radley Yeldar (RY)
James Self, Managing Director, ESG Assurance, Deloitte, and
Amanda Carpenter, CEO, Achill Legal |
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Sustainability Dates for Your Diary |
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No Mow May – MayNot mowing the lawn allows flowers to fully bloom, providing essential early-season nectar and pollen for vital pollinators like bees and butterflies. Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday – 08.05.26To mark the occasion, a slate of new shows are featuring alongside beloved landmark series in a week-long celebration of Sir David's work and legacy. International Day for Biological Diversity – 22.05.26
Serves as a global reminder to protect ecosystems that support human well-being and to align with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. 30 Days Wild – June
The UK's biggest nature challenge. This June, choose one wild thing a day (or a few each week) - from giving nature a helping hand to simply noticing the wild on your doorstep. From planting wildflowers for bees, to listening to bird song or letting a corner of your garden grow a little wilder, there are endless ways to spend your wild month. World Environment Day 2026 – 05.06.26
World Environment Day 2026 will rally the world around the urgency of climate action. With rising temperatures, collapsing ecosystems, and disruptive weather extremes, humanity stands at a tipping point. World Ocean Day – 08.06.26
World Ocean Day unites millions – across the globe and throughout the year – to protect our blue planet. The LSA is planning a campaign with Blue Marine Foundation. Keep an eye on our socials to find out more. Clean Air Day – 18.06.26
The UK's largest air pollution campaign. World Rainforest Day – 22.06.26
World Rainforest Day aims to unite organisations, activists, and everyday people to celebrate rainforests and advance conservation together. London Climate Action Week (LCAW) – 20-28.06.2026One of the world’s largest independent climate festivals, London Climate Action Week brings together businesses, policymakers, and civil society to accelerate global climate action. The week features hundreds of in-person and virtual events across London, focusing on practical solutions, collaboration, and driving progress towards net zero. |
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Please encourage everyone in your firm to sign up for this bulletin here. |
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