denotes premium content | Jul 30 2010 
News
posted 5 Jan 2009
Law firm alliance unveils climate change principles
THE LEGAL Sector Alliance (LSA), a group of leading UK law firms, has developed a set of principles outlining a combined commitment to tackling global climate change in all aspects of their business.
The LSA was set up by international law firm DLA Piper, The Law Society and Business in the Community (BITC) in October 2007 – arising from a belief the legal profession could play a leading role in encouraging more energy-efficient practices in the wider business world.
The principles are wide-ranging, including promoting greater public debate on the subject of climate change; measuring the operational impact of firms’ energy use; working with external stakeholders; and considering climate change implications when undertaking legal work itself.
Other firms are invited to subscribe to the principles through the LSA’s website, while existing members are currently in the process of developing a measurement tool to help firms benchmark their carbon footprint and energy efficiency against other participating firms.
Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson said the impact of an economic downturn should
only increase firms’ commitment to tackling climate change on a firm-wide level.
“Economic uncertainty coupled with increasingly urgent warnings of climate change reinforce the importance of streamlining expenditure through environmental efficiencies,” he explained.
LSA member firms include DLA Piper, Eversheds, Herbert Smith, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Slaughter and May, Taylor Wessing and Bond Pearce.
