• London Climate Action Week
• New episode of the Sustainable Law Podcast
• Brand new LSA guide to TCFD
• A rallying cry for law firms
• New blog on Attribution Science and the Law
• Registration link for event exploring business travel

What does the future hold for law firms? How can legal professionals navigate the rapidly evolving world of ESG?

We talked to the outgoing and incoming co-chairs of the LSA about the evolving landscape in which the network operates. From pushback on ESG to developing client expectations, mitigating climate risk to meeting regulatory requirements, we explore what has changed for law firms over the last decade and what to expect on the horizon.

With Paddy Linighan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Clyde & Co; Caroline May, Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright; Becky Clissmann, Counsel at Ashurst; and Matt Sparkes, Sustainability Director at Linklaters.

"Three years. That’s all we’ve got left if we want to keep global warming within the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit agreed in Paris."

For those with a subscription to The Lawyer, you may have come across Jess Boak’s article bearing the title above, dated 23rd June 2025. A stark rallying cry for law firms to reflect on whether they want to "be remembered as part of the problem or part of the solution."

"Law firms aren’t always set up for long-term thinking. Just look at the succession headaches many face and the annual scramble to distribute profits rather than build for what’s next. While all businesses need to react nimbly to current volatility, there's an argument for maintaining a permanent long view.

Because climate collapse doesn’t just threaten abstract ideals – it threatens the foundations of legal work itself. The deals, the disputes, the infrastructure, the regulations – all of it relies on stable societies, functioning cities, water and food security, and a planet that isn’t spiralling into chaos. This isn’t someone else’s problem. It’s ours."

We highly recommend reading the full article, and then please consider how you use the LSA in this endeavour, In addition to our free Carbon Calculator and resources which help you measure, monitor, and manage your carbon footprint, we offer a range of support to embed sustainability in all functions of your business. Check out the resources, events and working groups on our website to find out more.

Thanks to Ariel Edesess, ESG Senior Analyst at Hill Dickinson, for sharing this blog exploring the scientific foundations of attribution science, its implications under tort law, particularly nuisance, and how it is reshaping climate accountability.

We are pleased to inform you that the LSA Carbon Calculator has been updated with the latest (2025) UK Government Conversion Factors for greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting. Any data which relates to 2025 (i.e. for the period 1st January 2025 to date) entered into the Calculator will use these latest factors. Data relating to other years will still use the conversion factors appropriate to those years. 

The Government updates these factors annually and there are often some changes from year to year. The most significant changes in the 2025 factors include:

• Improvements in the conversion factors for aviation as a result of these now being based on more up-to-date data available from the Civil Aviation Authority
• Improvements in the waste disposal conversion factors, due to advances in mechanical sorting of waste, lower haulage vehicle emissions, and reduced electricity generation emissions

Users of the LSA Carbon Calculator are most likely to notice the impact of these changes in the carbon associated with flying in 2025. As an example, the carbon associated with a 10,000 km long haul premium economy flight taken in 2025 is 1.87 tCO₂e compared with 3.2 tCO₂e for the same flight in 2024. This is likely to make a significant difference to some firms’ overall carbon footprint as flights are often one of the largest contributors to GHG emissions. However, we would still encourage all LSA members to try to reduce flying as far as possible, as there is still a significant GHG impact as well as other considerations.

The full set of UK Government Emission Factors for GHG reporting can be found here.

Member news

Upcoming events and webinars

Every Step Counts: A Practical Guide to Business Travel

Online
12pm, 10th July 2025

This session marks the launch of the second guide in the series developed by the LSA Working Groups. Tackling the complex issue of business travel, this guide provides a concise, practical resource for law firms seeking to develop a robust and sustainable travel policy — or to enhance an existing one. It outlines how to build a compelling business case, collect and analyse meaningful travel data, identify key policy considerations, and implement practical steps to create an effective policy.

Developed by the LSA Working Group on Business Travel, the guide draws on the collective knowledge and experience of its members to offer a best-practice resource tailored to the legal profession. Like all LSA resources, it is freely available to inform, equip, and empower the legal sector to take effective action on the climate and nature crises.

Interested in joining these events but not yet an LSA member? Sign up here.