The autumn sustainability calendar is in full swing. New York Climate Action Week has been and gone, the UNGC Annual Summit follows closely on its heels, and then it's all eyes on Brazil for COP in November. This timetable is interspersed with award ceremonies, and we are delighted to see so many LSA member firms have been shortlisted this year.
At the LSA, our timetable is no less busy, with a number of exciting events, workshops, and webinars planned for October and November. We have a full programme of regular working group meetings — please let us know if you would be interested in joining any of these. Also, please take time to consider if you can help those asking questions in the Ask The Alliance section below.
Wherever we can, we promote our members' events and news, and showcase the great work of other networks across the legal sector. Working collaboratively and in partnership allows us to do more than we ever could on our own. As always, our team are keen to hear from you and help in any way, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Bulletin highlights:
Launch of the Rule of Law, Role of Lawyers series
New episode of the Sustainable Law Podcast – The Socially Imaginative Lawyer
LSA Exec Forum update
An invitation to The ICJ Ruling: Implications for Private Practice
Last chance to sign up for the LSA Academy apprentice scheme
Working Groups update
Information about COP30
Ask the Alliance - network support
Member news
Events of interest
Sustainability dates for your diary
Please encourage everyone in your firm to sign up to this bulletin here, and stay in touch to let us know how we can support you.
The Rule of Law, Role of Lawyers series
The LSA is delighted to be collaborating in a new series exploring the rule of law and the role of lawyers. Through events, podcasts, resources, and forums, we will examine how legal professionals uphold justice, safeguard democratic principles, and address emerging global challenges in an increasingly complex landscape.
The Sustainable Law Podcast The Socially Imaginative Lawyer
How can questions of justice serve your clients and lead to more innovative, creative, and durable outcomes?
For this special episode, Amanda Carpenter returns to the studio to talk to Wangui Kaniaru, Partner at ALN Kenya, specialising in M&A. Early on in her career, Wangui was told that rather than justice, law is about trade-offs, incentives, and outcomes. More recently, realising that this is a mischaracterisation of the role law can play, Wangui put her head above the parapet to ask questions about climate justice and the role of lawyers and the rule of law in a society facing the devastating impacts of the climate crisis.
Amanda and Wangui take a deep dive into justice, reflect on how to be a thoughtful lawyer, the implications of the ICJ ruling, and nurturing hope for future generations.
"Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are."– St. Augustine of Hippo
This podcast is part of the Rule of Law, Role of Lawyers series, exploring how legal professionals uphold justice, safeguard democratic principles, and address emerging global challenges.
Wangui Kaniaru
Wangui Kaniaru is a Partner at ALN Kenya. She advises on complex cross-border transactions, restructurings, and regulatory matters and has lived and worked in the United States, Asia, and Africa. An Advocate of the High Court of Kenya, she is also deeply engaged in climate change policy and sustainability, examining how corporate law can advance investment in sustainable and ethical business practices and planetary stewardship. Beyond her practice, she explores the intersection of law, governance, and creative expression, using poetry to explore memory, resilience, and belonging.
The LSA is delighted to be reintroducing our informal networking programme for exec firm members. This is a series of open discussions with colleagues about some of the issues and challenges, as well as the solutions and opportunities, that face sustainability leads in legal firms.
The series will be a mix of online and in-person meetings. Each will have a general theme to get the discussion going, followed by open conversation and networking.
The first online meeting will explore data tools — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Which one to choose? Could we find a better supplier platform? Could we do it ourselves as the LSA?
Date: Wednesday, 15th October 2025, 12.30-1.30pm Location: Online
Calendar invitations were sent on Tuesday, 16th September. In the event that yours has gone astray, please email Camilla at manager@legalsustainabilityalliance.com.
The ICJ Ruling: Implications for Private Practice
As part of the Rule of Law, Role of Lawyers series, Legal Charter 1.5 would like to invite you to this event exploring the implications of the ICJ ruling for private practice. The event will feature a curated conversation, chaired by Shane Gleghorn, Managing Partner of Taylor Wessing UK, covering how the ruling may reshape the legal landscape — not only around compliance and risk management, but also evolving legal standards around climate responsibility.
Date: 22.10.25 Time: 1–2.30pm Location: Ashurst, Fruit & Wool Exchange, 1 Duval Square, London E1 6PW
Speakers: Estelle Dehon KC– Cornerstone Barristers Tom Cummins– Senior Counsel, Dispute Resolution, Ashurst Milly Thomas– Foreign Legal Associate, DLA Piper
Last chance to join the LSA Sustainability Academy
Launching in November, the Academy brings together colleagues from LSA member firms who are passionate about sustainability and driving change across the legal sector. Delivered in partnership with LDN Apprenticeships (Ofsted-rated Outstanding and B Corp-certified), the programme offers the chance to learn alongside peers and become part of a growing network of legal sector change-makers.
Read our blog, written by Asia Mill, Sustainability Networks Coordinator at Achill Legal, about her experience as an apprentice.
Equipping for the Future: Why the LSA Sustainability Academy Matters
Smaller Firms Working Group: We have launched a new working group designed to give sustainability practitioners in small firms, who may have limited in-house support, the chance to learn, share, and develop together. We would like to identify the unique challenges facing small firms and explore practical solutions. Please contact Camilla at manager@legalsustainabilityalliance.com if you would like to join this group.
Biodiversity and Nature Working Group: The LSA's Biodiversity and Nature Working Group is making strong progress, collaborating on a Miro board that maps how law firms’ upstream value chains interact with nature — a practical template firms can adapt for their own materiality assessments.
The group has matched upstream value chain activities to appropriate ISIC industry classification codes and nearly finished labelling material nature impacts associated with each activity using visual icons. Next, they’ll map dependencies, with a view to producing a flipbook product next year for the membership. Huge thanks to the TCFD/TNFD working group members, who have also contributed to the project.
The firms currently represented in this group are DWF, Forsters, Osborne Clarke, A&L Goodbody, Ashurst, Freeths, Michelmores, Pinsent Masons, and Eversheds Sutherland.
The upcoming COP30 will take place from 10th–21st November 2025 in Belém, Brazil, right in the heart of the Amazon rainforest — a highly symbolic location for a climate summit. Here is a quick run-down of COP, what we can expect this year and why it matters.
COP stands for Conference of the Parties — the annual UN summit where countries meet to negotiate and advance global climate action. At COP, countries review progress toward the Paris Agreement goals, update their climate commitments (known as NDCs, or Nationally Determined Contributions), and negotiate key issues like climate finance, adaptation, and the phase-out of fossil fuels.
COP30 is especially significant, as it marks the deadline for countries to submit stronger climate plans for the next five-year cycle.
We can expect intense discussions around how wealthier nations will fund mitigation and adaptation efforts in developing countries — a long-standing sticking point — as well as how the Amazon’s future is tied to global climate stability.
We have had a number of questions from LSA members that you may be able to help with. Please email any recommendations or advice to Camilla at manager@legalsustainabilityalliance.com.
Can anyone recommend an organisation that offers emissions inventory verification services? Needed for a limited level of Scope 1, 2 and 3 assurance.
Does anyone in the network have recommendations for carbon footprint production consultants?
What advice would you give to a small responsible business team (1 person part-time) to help them maximise efforts?
Could you give a small firm tips, or share your experience on 'where do we start?' A small, but powerful question!
Please keep these queries coming in. The LSA’s strength lies in the collective knowledge of our network — by working together and sharing best practice, we can achieve even greater impact.
Member News
Please get in touch viacomms@legalsustainabilityalliance.com with your stories so we can feature them here.
For the fifth year in a row, Cooley earned an A-grade on the 2025 Law Firm Climate Change Scorecard, recognising its minimal involvement in fossil fuel-related work. The firm’s continued top ranking reflects its commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible legal practice.
Clyde & Co is cutting its global office footprint by 45%. The shift supports environmental sustainability through lower emissions and energy use, while also enhancing operational resilience and contributing to regional economic development.
Mayer Brown wins "Most Innovative Law Firm in Sustainability" for advising Standard Chartered Bank on the establishment of its historic, first-of-its-kind $3 billion clean energy infrastructure CLO platform with Apollo.
Understanding Ecocide Law – Why businesses and law firms should engage
Date: 4.11.25 Time: 12–1pm Location: Online
This event will explore how ecocide law fits within the current legal framework and examine its implications for law firms and their clients. The discussion will also consider the relationship between ecocide law and the Rights of Nature movement, highlighting how these evolving legal approaches intersect to shape the future of environmental accountability and protection.
An online panel discussion, presented in partnership with Stop Ecocide and chaired by Amanda Carpenter.
Speakers: Sue Miller – Chief Network and Alliances Officer, Stop Ecocide International. Former solicitor, legal marketing director, and small business founder. Sophie Dembinski – Head of Global Public Policy; Head of UK & Americas, Ecosia Nina Macpherson – Chair of the Board, The Ecocide Law Alliance Foundation. Former Chief Legal Officer of Ericsson. Board member of the Swedish Corporate Governance Board.
This event is part of the ‘Rule of Law, Role of Lawyers’ series, exploring how legal professionals uphold justice, safeguard democratic principles, and address emerging global challenges.
An Exclusive Abridged Screening and Audience with Filmmakers
Date: 5.11.25 Time: 6–8pm GMT. Location: Linklaters, One Silk Street, London EC2Y 8HQ
The Legal Sustainability Alliance, together with the Blue Marine Foundation, is delighted to invite you to an exclusive evening screening of Ocean with David Attenborough.
This special event, designed for sustainability leaders from across the legal sector and their invited clients, will feature:
A specially edited 25-minute abridged version of this ground-breaking production.
First-hand insights from Director Keith Scholey and Cinematographer Doug Anderson on bringing this remarkable story to the screen.
A topical Q&A panel exploring the impact of the film, the vital role of law in marine conservation, and the actions, we can all take to protect our oceans.
The evening will conclude with drinks and canapés.
Please register to confirm your interest and note that you also need to register any guests you would like to bring along. Places are limited.
Interested in joining these events but not yet an LSA member? Sign up here.
Other Events of Interest
The ICJ Ruling: Implications for Private Practice
This event will feature a curated conversation, chaired by Shane Gleghorn, Managing Partner of Taylor Wessing UK, covering how the ruling may reshape the legal landscape — not only around compliance and risk management, but also evolving legal standards around climate responsibility.
Date: 22.10.25 Time: 1–2.30pm Location: Ashurst, Fruit & Wool Exchange, 1 Duval Square, London E1 6PW
Speakers: Estelle Dehon KC– Cornerstone Barristers Tom Cummins– Senior Counsel, Dispute Resolution, Ashurst Milly Thomas– Foreign Legal Associate, DLA Piper
Nature in the Boardroom: Conscious Corporate Governance Panel
Nature loss and climate change demand bold and innovative governance responses. As part of the evolving Rights of Nature movement, a new wave of corporate leaders is recognising nature as a key stakeholder — essential to business success, yet too often overlooked in decision-making.
Speakers: Alexandra Pimor – Director, Nature Governance Agency Jake White – Head of Legal Advocacy, WWF UK Kirsty Schneeberger MBE – Founder of Athena Blue Sophie Kemp – Partner and Head of the Public Law team, Kingsley Napley
Hosted by Kingsley Napley, this session will offer practical guidance for corporate leaders and ESG professionals interested in exploring nature-positive governance. The panel will explore how companies are responding to the nature crisis, the emerging governance models designed to give nature a voice in the boardroom, and why corporate leaders might take this innovative approach.
If you are interested in attending, please register your interest using the link below.
Launch of the Oxford Net Zero
Serviced Emissions Hub
The launch of the Serviced Emissions Hub, convened by Oxford Net Zero, Purpose Disruptors, Creatives for Climate, Exponential Roadmap Initiative, and Legal Charter 1.5.
Drinks and canapés Date: 16.10.25 Time: 6–8pm Location: Clyde & Co, St Botolph Building, 138 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7AR RSVP: Please register your interest via email to Andie at events@achill-legal.com.
The invite-only audience will consist of critical stakeholders from across the professional services landscape and the wider ecosystem of actors and organisations, such as standard setters and clients, who will be able to enact and embed the Serviced Emissions guidance.
By attending, you will be the first in the UK to:
Hear why Serviced Emissions are likely to impact professional service providers
Understand the six action areas that can be embedded within professional service organisations
Be inspired to hear how leaders are already engaging with Serviced Emissions
Engage with the ecosystem of actors who can support Serviced Emissions to become a reality
Benefit from networking with selected, fellow leaders
Oxford Policy Monitor Launch
SAVE THE DATE - The team at the Climate Policy Monitor will have formally launched their report at COP, but as so many colleagues and lawyers will not be in Brazil, they are keen to share the findings of the monitor for 2025 with a wider audience across the legal sector at this event.
Date: 25.11.25 Time: 4.30–7pm Location: Pinsent Masons, 30 Crown Pl, Earl St, London EC2A 4ES RSVP: Please register interest via email to Andie at events@achill-legal.com
Sustainability Dates for Your Diary
This isn't an exhaustive list, but a selection of dates we found particularly interesting:
This day encourages better disposal and recycling of electronic waste. The 2025 focus is on how critical raw materials can be recovered from unused or broken electronic products.
World Food Day (Water is Life: Our Responsibilities) – 16.10.25
World Food Day marks the founding of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation in 1945. It’s recognised globally by organisations focused on hunger and food security, such as the World Food Programme (WFP), which won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat hunger and promote peace in conflict zones.
World Sustainability Day (Last Wednesday of October) – 29.10.25 World Sustainability Day promotes environmental awareness and sustainable practices. People celebrate by reducing waste, conserving energy, supporting eco-friendly companies, and advocating for sustainability. While one day can’t fix everything, it serves as a powerful reminder that small, collective actions can make a big difference.
This major climate conference will shape the next wave of international climate policy. Expect high-level negotiations on emissions targets, finance, and deforestation.
An annual initiative promoting awareness around sustainable resource and waste management through events, challenges, and clean-ups.
Missed an LSA Event?
Sometimes we record our events, which you can watch via the resource library on our website.
LSA’s Guide to Business Travel – A webinar launching the LSA’s new guide to business travel with members of the working group who worked on the publication
LSA’s Guide to TCFD – A webinar launching the LSA’s new guide to TCFD with members of the working group who worked on the publication
Introducing the LSA Academy – A webinar launching the LSA Academy — designed to meet the growing demand for sustainability skills across our membership organisations, while leveraging apprenticeship levy funding
