Missed any of our knowledge sessions? Or perhaps you joined us and want to watch them all over again? Check out overviews and recordings of our past events from 2023 below.
Session recordings are also accessible directly via our YouTube channel.
21 February 2023: Integrating Environmental Issues
Presentation: We started our first ever LVF Knowledge Session by considering the integration principle – an overarching principle which requires that environmental protection is integrated into all other policy areas. Simply put, all public policy makers have a responsibility to consider and seek out opportunities for environmental protection.
We then expanded upon this to consider whether, and if so how, all lawyers – regardless of specialism or practice area – can and should integrate environmental issues into their work. What would it mean for all law students and practitioners to truly represent the earth’s interests through their studies and practice?
Interview with an expert: For this knowledge session we were delighted to welcome along Brontie Maria Ansell as our first interviewee! Brontie is senior lecturer in law in Essex Law School with a particular interest in climate justice; a supervising solicitor in The Law Clinic at the university; a director and co-founder of the NGO Lawyers for Nature dedicated to research, education and legal advice in environmental justice; and an appointee to the Board of the beauty and toiletries company Faith in Nature as the company’s board first representative of Nature.
We heard from Brontie about how she approaches this role and what it means to her to be an environmental advocate in a corporate setting.
Creative content: For this knowledge session we asked attendees to read a chapter of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass (the focus chapter was ‘The Sacred and the Superfund‘).
This is a beautiful and moving book in which Kimmerer weaves together her expertise as a botanist with her experience as a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. We wholeheartedly recommend you get yourself a copy and read the whole thing!
21 March 2023: Corporate Responsibility and Climate Change
Substantive presentation
In this session, we looked at the increase in climate change considerations for corporates and their directors, from legal and regulatory requirements to soft pressures such as shareholder activism and investor impact.
We explored the role of lawyers in advising corporate clients on the risks and responsibilities associated with climate change and in weaving such considerations into their daily work.
Interview with an expert: We were delighted to interview Jack Longden, the Sustainability Manager at QBE European Operations. Having started his career as a solicitor, Jack now brings a unique perspective to his role as the Sustainability Manager at one of the UK’s largest insurers!
We heard some fascinating insights from Jack about how this role promotes climate change in a corporate setting and what he expects from QBE’s legal advisers.
Creative content: For this knowledge session we asked attendees to listen to an episode of the Outrage + Optimism! podcast as part of our creative content discussion. We focused on the ‘Do The Work‘ episode which includes an interview with Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group, 14 minutes into the episode.
18 April 2023: Greenwashing & Sustainability Claims
Led by LVF Stewardship Committee Member, Zaneta Sedilekova.
Presentation: Zaneta discussed two legal areas in which greenwashing risk may arise – advertising liability, which arises vis-à-vis consumers, and directors’ liability, which arises vis-à-vis investors. In her substantive presentation, Zaneta focused on advertising liability, considering several examples of advertising campaigns which raise greenwashing issues in the context of the relevant law. We then stepped outside of the legal realm and examined how these campaigns impact us not in our roles as lawyers, but as ordinary consumers.
The substantive presentation will conclude with a short discussion of how law firms may, inadvertently, engage in greenwashing and what young lawyers can do to not become complicit in it.
Interview with an expert: for this knowledge session we welcomed Simon Turnbull, a Director in Bank of America’s EMEA equity capital markets legal team. Having joined Bank of America from Hogan Lovells in 2007, Simon has worked on a number of climate action initiatives and leads its environmental pro bono team!
Simon shared his experience pursuing action on climate change in a way which avoids greenwashing and gave valuable advice for young lawyers seeking to do ESG work.
Creative content: in our creative content discussion, we engaged with a piece of spoken word poetry called ‘Shoulders’ by Canadian artist Shane Koyczan (7 minutes in total, available here). We discussed which aspects of this poem make it honest and powerful, as well as controversial and challenging.
Recording:
30 May 2023: Contracts for Climate
Led by LVF Stewardship Committee Member, Matilda Graham.
Presentation: Contracts serve as the fundamental foundation for global economic activity and can either impede or facilitate the critical transition towards net-zero and beyond. This session explored how contract clauses can be a powerful tool in achieving our climate goals, drawing on the work of The Chancery Lane Project, a global pro-bono initiative of lawyers to rewire contracts and laws to tackle climate change. Theirs is a mission to see every contract enable solutions to climate change. In her presentation, Matilda:
🔎 Discussed why contracts are a key intervention point for lawyers to enact meaningful change
🔎 Explored some examples of climate clauses, outlining their scope and enforceability
🔎 Considered how to effectively negotiate and implement clauses
Interview with an expert: we were delighted to welcome Phoebe Roberts to this session. Phoebe came from a “traditional” legal background to build a career that is centered on climate and sustainability. She is a Senior Associate in MinterEllison’s Climate Risk Governance team with a passion for embedding sustainability and addressing climate change risks across supply chains and project life cycles. With a background in the procurement of major infrastructure and construction projects, she brings an understanding of the complex legal and commercial nature of procurement and project delivery to climate risk advisory.
Phoebe is also the Director of Implementation and Co-Lead of the APAC Chapter of The Chancery Lane Project.
Creative content: for this session we chose a short film by Damon Gameau and Nick Maher, “What is Regeneration?“
This is a powerful and rousing call to action to join a global movement of regenerators who are working to heal our ecosystems. It will form the basis of our discussion of how we can collaborate to facilitate imaginative climate solutions.
Recording:
25 July 2023: Renewable Energy & Low Carbon in the UK
Led by LVF Stewardship Committee Member, Ming Zee Tee.
Presentation: Energy and electricity generation underpin the running of our societies and economies, but are among the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. The energy transition – the shift from fossil-based systems of energy production and consumption to renewable and low-carbon systems – is therefore crucial to achieving our net zero targets. However, such a change is complex and involves a myriad of variables – some technological, some political – requiring calculated policy decisions and proper system design.
This session explored how the UK plans to achieve its energy transition, focussing on two key technologies, wind power (primarily offshore wind) and nuclear energy. In her presentation, Ming Zee:
🔎 Discussed the ingredients of an energy system, and what the “energy transition” really means
🔎 Analysed UK’s current energy mix, and transition plans to achieve net zero by 2050
🔎 Focused in on two forms of energy, wind power and nuclear, and the challenges of scaling each
Panel interview: Ming Zee interviewed Angela Delfino and Yomna Elewa from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Creative content: in this knowledge session we looked at the powerful work of Precious Okoyomon and Tomás Saraceno, two pioneering visual artists, to discuss the role of art in the climate crisis.
🎨 See examples of Okoyomon’s work here and Saraceno’s work here.
Recording:
13 September 2023: Strategic Climate Litigation: can it challenge the status quo?
Presentation: This event was co-hosted with Queen Mary University of London’s Centre for Climate Crime and Justice.
The session focused on strategic climate litigation, with an emphasis on litigation against corporate actors. We explored:
🔎 The trends in strategic climate litigation and growing focus on corporate actors. The development of concepts such as “community-based lawyering” and “movement lawyering.”
🔎 The use of law and litigation to challenge systemic and structural issues that are at the root of the climate crisis. In particular, the role of law, litigation and campaigning in increasing transparency around the roles and responsibilities of large corporate actors for climate damages, in addressing the tactics used by large corporates (particularly disinformation and greenwashing), and in highlighting the role of enablers (from PR firms to lawyers).
🔎 The obstacles to climate litigation, including inequality of arms and limited access to justice for climate litigants wishing to challenge corporate abuse, deception and inaction on climate.
🔎 The problematic role that lawyers play, as illustrated by the recent Law Students for Climate Accountability report. The need for lawyers, and especially solicitors, to act on conscience, as pushed for by the Lawyers are Responsible Campaign, and the ethical dilemmas faced by lawyers engaging in the climate justice space. The positive role that lawyers can play by using their skills for good.
Creative content: For this session, participants were asked to consider tricky factual scenarios and to workshop litigation theories based on those facts.
25 October 2023: Exemplary Damages
Led by LVF Member, Joe Hodson.
Presentation: Exemplary (AKA punitive) damages are a useful if controversial tool for deterring civil wrongs. Their availability varies significantly across different jurisdictions. They are arguably well suited to environmental claims as the mere threat of compensation can often be “priced-in” by deep-pocketed environmental tortfeasors.
Joe discussed the principles underpinning the debate over exemplary damages, and gave an overview of the situations in which they are available as a remedy, focusing primarily on the position in England and Wales, and examining their relevance to environmental claims.
Panel interview: In this knowledge session, Joe conducted a panel discussion with experts Maribel Rodriguez, Legal Director of Law and Wildlife and Co-Founder & Executive Director at Conservation Litigation and Professor Dr Geert van Calster, full professor in the University of Leuven.
Creative content: The creative content for this session was an article in which the actor William Shatner (famous as Star Trek’s Captain Kirk) describes his experience of journeying into space in real life, and how it contrasted with his expectations.
Recording:
9 November 2023: Decarbonisation of Shipping: an introduction
Led by LVF Member, Alberta Longanesi Cattani.
Presentation: Alberta discussed the crucial role played by the shipping industry in the fight against climate change. The presentation covered the key regulatory measures supporting the decarbonisation of the maritime sector, the challenges and opportunities in this transition and some key industry-led initiatives purporting to accelerate this process.
Interview with an expert: The interviewee for this session was Stephen Fewster, Global Head of ING’s Shipping Finance Group, and, among other roles, Treasurer of the Poseidon Principles.
The Poseidon Principles establish a framework for assessing and disclosing the climate alignment of ship finance portfolios. More information may be found here.
Creative content: For our this session the creative workshop explored our knowledge of and emotional connection to the ocean. Participants discussed in groups the concept of ocean literacy, defined as “an understanding of the ocean’s influence on you and your influence on the ocean” and the seven principles of ocean literacy promoted by IOC-UNESCO, such as the ocean makes the world habitable and is a major influence on weather and climate:
We also explored the emotions inspired by the representation of the ocean in film and classical music. The BBC Blue Planet documentary has helped many people to rekindle their love with the ocean, in addition to raising awareness of issues affecting the ocean such as plastic pollution and bleaching of coral reefs. Our audience prepared to sink into the blue as we listened to an orchestral recording of Han Zimmer’s epic Blue Planet II Theme.
14 December 2023: Is Growth Fiduciary?
Led by LVF Member, Tim MacDonald.
Presentation: Tim discussed the crucial role played by the pensions industry in the fight against climate change.
Pensions are all but invisible in social thinking about social change today. And yet they control vast sums of society’s shared savings – more than any single government, and many times more than any single corporation. And they are pegged by law to security in the future. Are they doing their job? What is their legal purpose? What legally are their powers? How does the law hold pensions accountable for the due and proper exercise of their lawful powers true to their legal purpose?
In this session, we explored how pension powers can be exercised true to purpose become a force for social action on climate.
Interview with an expert: the interviewee for this session was Chris Foreman, Project Scientist at Northwestern University, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Industry and Manufactures in the US (RSA US) and co-lead of The Deliberation Gateway Network at RSA US (https://deliberationgateway.home.blog). In this interview, we explored the evolving discipline of deliberative science and imagine innovative new ways in which deliberative practices may be applied to organize Citizen Juries.
Creative content: we considered the pensions industry’s responsibilities in relation to climate action through a short film that was prepared specifically for the session.
Recording:
Legal Voices for the Future 