ESG: Sustainability and Responsible Business
Whether you say ESG, sustainability, or corporate responsibility, these standards implicate complicated regulatory environments that can present serious challenges for companies like yours. Fortunately, our lawyers thrive in complex arenas. From navigating new regulations to defending against litigation, our experienced, multidisciplinary team can help you address risks impacting your reputation and bottom line.
ESG Asset Management and Investment Funds
Sustainable investing practices are increasingly vital in the global financial market, requiring asset managers to navigate evolving regulatory requirements and investor expectations. Our practice offers tailored solutions to help clients address sustainability challenges and opportunities and leverage deep experience across regions like the European Union, United Kingdom, and Australia, where regulatory landscapes vary significantly. We assist in designing innovative investment strategies and ensuring compliance with global ESG standards.
Corporate Governance and Risk Management
Responsible corporate governance, a key component of sustainability and ESG, enhances a company's bottom line and aligns with fiduciary duties, maximizing shareholder value. Our experienced lawyers can help guide companies in implementing effective governance structures and navigating complex legal challenges. We can assist clients with respect to a range of activities including compliance with ESG-related regulations and disclosures in regions such as the United States, European Union, and Australia, addressing sustainability risks proactively and implementing energy strategies, including renewable energy purchases and carbon capture projects. Additionally, we assist with setting up corporate social responsibility reporting and robust compliance systems in line with the changing ESG requirements in different jurisdictions, leveraging our global knowledge across various legal areas.
Corporate Sustainability and Supply Chain Management
Regulators around the world have become increasingly interested not only in companies own ESG efforts, but also those of their supply chains. In times of evolving regulatory requirements across the globe, it is more important than ever for global companies to have advisors who have insights into the current simplification proposals to Green Deal regulation in Europe as well as the executive orders on DEI and environmental sustainability in the United States. Our firm has an integrated team of lawyers and policy advisors around the globe who regularly help clients with supply chain compliance matters.
ESG Litigation
ESG principles are integral to business strategies, impacting sustainability and governance, and increasing litigation risks due to evolving regulations. This affects strategic plans and necessitates structural changes. Our lawyers, with experience across industries, manage ESG-related disputes, including securities and fiduciary duties, supported by over 500 specialists globally.
We help clients shape regulations, establish legal precedents, and defend against litigation. Our global task force uses advanced technology to monitor issues, providing strategic counseling on compliance, product management, litigation defense, and insurance recovery, ensuring effective risk management and mitigation.
Reducing Emissions
Sustainable business practices are crucial for a cleaner planet, driven by global incentives and consumer demand. Companies face financial, legal, and regulatory challenges, and our lawyers assist in renewable energy and sustainability sectors with project development, finance, and compliance.
With a global focus on carbon reduction, our experienced team aids in energy transition, carbon capture, and trading, navigating evolving frameworks. We support carbon management through renewable energy, alternative fuels, and emissions regulation, providing tailored legal solutions to seize opportunities and minimize risks.
In agriculture, sustainability helps ensure long-term productivity and financial benefits, emphasizing ethical sourcing and practices.
Public Policy and Advocacy: Global Developments in Sustainability Regulation
Sustainable and responsible business conduct has become a priority for many global companies – because their stakeholders are requesting it, regulators are requiring it, or consumers are demanding it. Investors seek a global baseline for comparable and decision-useful corporate sustainability risk disclosures. The legal framework is, however, changing quickly in different regions of the world. Our integrated team of policy advisors is very tuned into political and legislative processes and regularly monitors those developments for clients and advocates for the inclusion of clients` suggestions in upcoming regulation.
Competitor Collaboration for Green Goals in Line with Antitrust Rules
Innovative solutions require large investments; thus companies within an industry have an interest in sharing the load and maximizing the know-how useable by collaborating. While EU competition authorities have actively encouraged such collaborations and published guidelines when they are admissible, there has been some backlash against such collaboration in the United States arguing they are per se anti-competitive. Our antitrust team has advised on some of the most visible collaboration projects and their alignments with authorities.
Whatever you call these issues, we can help. Like to learn more? Subscribe to our email list to receive timely alerts about regulations, resources, and events.
