Background

On 1 May 2007, HRH The Prince of Wales convened a summit of UK business leaders calling for an urgent response to the problem of climate change. Recognising the need for large scale action, DLA Piper and Business in the Community saw an opportunity for the legal sector to work together to contribute to the solution. Joining forces with the Law Society of England and Wales they conceived an initiative which would uniquely focus on reducing the environmental impacts of the legal profession by drawing on its skills and experience. Inspired by the work of the insurance sector, (www.climatewise.org.uk) and the CBI Taskforce (www.cbi.org.uk/climate), the Legal Sector Alliance was created in October 2007.

A further 17 law firms and the Environmental Law Foundation joined to become the founding members of the Alliance, contributing financially to appoint a dedicated Project Manager and committing the time of their senior executives and operational experts to lead the programme of work.

At the inaugural meeting of the founding members in November 2007, priority areas were identified for the legal sector to respond to climate change, both directly through its own activities and indirectly through its influence over clients, suppliers and government.

Work has now begun to develop a set of principles which, through their wide scale adoption, will enable the legal sector to respond positively and collectively to climate change, by reducing its own carbon footprint and influencing key stakeholders to reduce theirs.

To ensure that the principles are appropriate to law firms of any size, specialism or location, as well as to identify potential barriers and examples of environmental best practice an extensive programme of online and face-to-face consultation with the profession is underway.

Click here to find out how you can get involved.