June 2025 Newsletter

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Legal Voices for the Future
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Dear LVF Members

Welcome to Legal Voices for the Future’s June newsletter! This edition includes:

  • Our upcoming LVF Education and Community events
  • Courses, mentoring and the next generation
  • Our first member Q&A with Matilda Lorkin on her experience at COP29

A friend of LVF said “If not now, then when? If not me, then who?”. While we at LVF know that the climate and biodiversity crises can feel overwhelming at times, we are reminded of this quote and our collective community power to make positive change each day. We are reminded that there is time and opportunity for positive change. We are reminded that we, like the caterpillar, can transform into something greater. We have already started, we are already a community, we are already helping to transform the world.

See you next month,

Wakelyns Agroforestry: Field Trip & Knowledge Session

On 10-11 May, 30 LVF members took part in our first ever field trip to Wakelyns Agroforestry in Suffolk, generously hosted by David Wolfe KC and Amanda Illing. Wakelyns is a pioneering 22.5-hectare farm that integrates organic farming with agroforestry, food, research and sustainable rural enterprise.

Our visit included a tour of the farm, hands-on volunteering, and inspiring discussions on agroecology, farming policy, environmental law and systems change. David ran an excellent knowledge session where he shared insights from recent judicial review cases, where he represented NGOs in holding public authorities to account on environmental issues and climate change. Ellie Percey from Commonland led creative activities on systems thinking, to help us understand our current UK food system and how this might be changed. The day ended with a beautiful sunset meal and a lively evening around the fire pit

Read the full write-up here, where our Stewardship Committee Co-Chair Harriet Hall reflects on agroforestry in action, the judgments we discussed and our food systems exercises! This write up also includes our reading list and more pictures from the trip. We’re confident this will be the first of many LVF field trips – and an enduring highlight for everyone who joined us!

May knowledge session with Varnika Chawla and Tasha Lea

We had a great knowledge session on 28 May at the GRI, which explored scaling nature-based investments through harnessing institutional capital. If you missed it you can catch the recording on Youtube.

We then heard from a diverse range of panellists, including Sindi Kuci (Research Consultant at the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group), Prerna Handa (Associate at Linklaters) and Renata Campos (Investment Associate at Climate Asset Management). It was great to have a blend of academic and practical perspectives and learn about various topics including the permanence issue of carbon credits, the role of infomediaries and contract law in regulating carbon markets and the need to operationalise the Paris Agreement through domestic law

Kicking off with a deep dive into sustainable investing, and why it matters, Varnika Chawla and Tasha Lea from Climate Asset Management explained how we can shape narratives around natural capital to close the funding gap and legitimise nature as an asset class. We learnt about the key risks and issues faced by investors, including partner capacity, the importance of community buy-in and security registration, and how due diligence can help to off-set the risks involved in carbon-credit projects.

We then heard from a diverse range of panellists, including Sindi Kuci (Research Consultant at the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group), Prerna Handa (Associate at Linklaters) and Renata Campos (Investment Associate at Climate Asset Management). It was great to have a blend of academic and practical perspectives and learn about various topics including the permanence issue of carbon credits, the role of infomediaries and contract law in regulating carbon markets and the need to operationalise the Paris Agreement through domestic law.

The creative content, BBC Panorama documentary “Big Brands’ Green Claims Uncovered”, generated interesting discussions which we carried through to the pub! Thanks to all who attended.

Upcoming events

LVF Education

  • LVF’s July knowledge session will be on the groundbreaking ECtHR case – KlimaSeniorinnen. This session will be hosted by our member Ginny Bicciolo and Giulia Trojano and Patrick Kenny from Hausfeld, with panellists Marc Willers KC (Garden Court Chambers) and Cassie Roddy Mullineaux (Global Legal Action Network). The creative content will be a discussion on the effectiveness of environmental protests vis-a-vis strategic litigation. Refreshments will be served from 6pm and the event will begin at 6.30pm. You can sign up for the event on 2 July in person at Hausfeld or online with this link.

You can always find more about our upcoming events on our website and Ticketsource page, and details of our past events on our website.

LVF Community

  • From 2 May – 10 August: Unearthed: The Power of Gardening – in person in London: we will be attending this exhibition at the British Library which celebrates gardening as a force for creativity, resilience and community through the remarkable stories of the people and plants that shape our gardens. We’ll share details of date and time shortly!
  • 7 September: Picnic and book club discussion  join us for a picnic at Lincoln’s Inn field bandstand where we will also be discussing our books of choice from our first book club and swap. We will also be deciding our new theme for the second half of the year. You can find the list of books here! Join this WhatsApp group for us to provide updates: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JGXMwaK0m721zQyFKxB64U

Other events

London Climate Action is taking place 21-29 July so there are heaps of events coming up online and in person in London, including the following:

  • 17-21 June 2025 – in person or online – UKELA Annual Conference 2025: You can attend the UKELA annual conference in person or online. Students UKELA members can receive discounted tickets. Find out more about the event and ticket options here.
  • 20-22 June – Unearthed festival (Wales): Unearthed festival has a focus on sustainability and locally sourced food and is known for its wellness activities. You can camp or attend for the day in the Pembrokeshire countryside. Tickets can be found here.
  • 24 June 9:30-11am BST (Fawcett House, 2 Clement’s Inn, London, WC2A 2AZ and online) – Financing climate adaptation – the role of the private sector. Register here.
  • 24 June 6:30-8:00pm BST (LSE Centre Building Auditorium, Houghton St, London WC2A 2AE and online) – Harnessing AI: safeguarding high-integrity data for climate action. Sign up here.
  • 25 June 4:30-7pm (2-3 Gray’s Inn Square London WC1R 5JH and online) – The International Bar Association is hosting ‘Lawyers, bar associations & legal alliances’. Find out more here.
  • 26 June 6:30-8:00pm BST (LSE Centre Building Auditorium, Houghton St, London WC2A 2AE and online) – Global Trends in Climate Litigation 2025 Snapshot Report Launch. Find out how to attend here.
  • 27 June 2025 9:30-11:30 am BST (Shaw Library, 6th Floor, Old Building, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE) – Navigating the headwinds: uncertainties and resilience of a just transition future. Sign up here.

If you go to any of these events – let us know! We’d love to hear your experience and share it with other Legal Voices members on our LinkedIn Community Group and website.

New Climate Contracting Training Course

Our friends at The Chancery Lane Project have recently launched a free course on Climate Contracting. The course is designed to help legal professionals integrate climate considerations into contracts and commercial strategies.The course is 6 hours long, split into 6 modules which you complete at your own pace. The modules cover topics such as:

The course is 6 hours long, split into 6 modules which you complete at your own pace. The modules cover topics such as:

  • The role of law in driving climate action
  • Mitigating climate risks in legal practice
  • Principles of climate contracting
  • Practical application of climate-aligned clauses

For those LVF members who are already qualified, this course has obtained CPD accreditation and you can download a certificate when completed. The course covers a range of topics from the risks of climate change for corporate clients, to overcoming resistance to incorporating climate clauses and offers practical simulations to apply your knowledge.

Member Q&A: Mathilda Lorkin at COP 

With COP30 in Brazil on the horizon, we interviewed our member Mathilda Lorkin, PhD student at Queen Mary, about her time at COP29 in Azerbaijan last year.In our first ever member Q&A, Mathilda discusses her role at COP, youth involvement, the outcomes, and the role of civil society and Side Events.

Mathilda was also kind enough to give us an insight into her hopes for future COPs and climate negotiations: “What gives me hope in the future is the tremendous work done by civil society organisations. It is amazing to see how well organised and informed they are at international level. How successful some of their advocacy work is and how they are willing to train others to reproduce these successes.”

Read the full interview here: https://legalvoicesforthefuture.wordpress.com/2025/06/07/lvf-member-…

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