February 2026 Newsletter

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by

Legal Voices for the Future
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Dear LVF Members

Welcome to LVF’s February newsletter! We often associate February with Valentine’s Day, but at LVF we try to spread the love for nature and our community throughout the year.

This edition of Legal Voices for the Future’s newsletter includes: 

  • Our upcoming LVF Education and LVF Community events 
  • Reflections on our February Knowledge Session on Legal Systems Change 
  • Job/volunteering opportunities members may be interested in


See you next month, 

LVF Education

February Knowledge Session with Vicky Vanderstichele  

On 18 February, we were delighted to host an interactive knowledge session led by Vicky Vanderstichele  Exploring Legal Systems Change. This session was an exciting departure from our usual format, with participants seated in circles to encourage discussion, reflection, and shared learning. This made for a thoughtful and energising session, allowing participants to reflect on both the limits of existing legal frameworks and their own role in shaping systemic change. 

Vicky introduced systems thinking as a way of understanding complex problems by looking beyond individual laws or interventions, and examining the relationships, incentives, and assumptions that underpin legal systems. She highlighted how many of the systems we operate within are perpetuating the most significant planetary issues, including climate change and inequality, and challenged the tendency to rely on linear, technical fixes that are all too familiar in the legal profession. Instead, she emphasised the importance of examining deeper dynamics, including the mental models that shape what we see as possible or inevitable within the law. 

Participants then applied these ideas to their own areas of practice, reflecting on questions such as what outcomes legal systems consistently produce, who benefits and who is disadvantaged, and what assumptions are embedded within legal frameworks. This encouraged participants to see law not just as a set of rules, but as part of a broader system shaped by power, relationships, and shared beliefs. The session concluded with a collective discussion, where participants shared insights from their tables.

Upcoming events

LVF Education 

  • LVF’s March knowledge session will be on Central Banks and the Climate Crisis. Join us in person or online on Monday 16 March at the Grantham Research Institute for our March Knowledge session on Central Banks and the Climate Crisis hosted by our Stewardship Committee member Martina Menegat. Martina will be joined by Daniel Segoin (Senior Legal Counsel at the European Central Bank), Dan Eziefula (Lawyer in the Accountable Finance Team at ClientEarth), and Megan Bowman (Professor of Climate Law and Director of the Centre on Climate Law & Governance at Kings’ College London) in order to discuss  how central banks integrate climate considerations into their mandates and why these considerations are important. They will reflect as well on how these considerations have evolved and how lawyers can creatively interpret and use central banking law to support climate objectives. Sign up here. 
  • LVF’s April knowledge session on Industrial Animal Agriculture. We are also busy organising our April KS covering the Climate Change and Animal Welfare Impacts, co-hosted with LVF Member Charlotte Edgar, on 15 April at Clyde & Co’s London offices. Further details to follow shortly, watch this space!

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

LVF Community

  • Poetry/ Spoken word evening: we are very excited to host our first LVF community event on 3rd March to celebrate our third birthday! The evening will offer an opportunity to listen to climate-adjacent poetry and spoken word, with readings from featured poets J Spooner (spooner.earth), Jess Grynfeld and Tara Brown (WILD THING POETRY), Kit Miles (playwright), William Wyld (Thames-Side Studios) and Chris Thorpe, an an opportunity to share your own poems, no prior experience required! Purchase your ticket here (£5 to cover venue costs) and sign up to an open mic slot here. 
  • Mentoring Breakfast: on 12th March, some of our LVF Steering Committee members will participate and speak at a Mentoring Breakfast on the topic: What does Sustainable Insurance mean in 2026? The event is hosted by the Better Insurance Network (BIN), a global community of insurance professionals focused on sustainability, the Next Generation Insurance Network (NGIN) and Clyde & Co LLP; and is part of the SUSTAIN Festival, which aims to mobilise the risk management and insurance world to build a more sustainable, resilient planet. The Breakfast is free to attend and open to all, subject to registration and capacity. You can find more details and register here. 

LVF is always thinking of fun new community events and we would love to hear from our members if you would like a film night! 

Other events

  • 27 February 4-6pm: Cambridge Seminar Series on Law and the Climate Crisis: Insurance Law and Climate Change lecture by Dr Franziska Arnold-Dwyer, Associate Professor of Law at UCL. Register here.
  • 3 March 9:30am-5pm: Greater Manchester Green Summit 2026 at Co-op Live, Manchester. An event  bringing together changemakers, communities, and organisations committed to driving climate action across Greater Manchester and beyond. Book here. 
  • 3 March 10am-6pm:  Public Law and the Planet Conference presented by Public Law Project in partnership with King’s Legal Clinic, the Centre for Climate Law and Governance, the Administrative Fairness Lab and Landmark Chambers, to address the question: “How can we use the law to ensure governments deliver climate justice?” In-person tickets are sold out, but online tickets are available here. 
  • 4 March 12-8pm: Grantham Institute Climate Research Showcase 2026 at Imperial. A full-day event including an exhibition, peer-led workshops and a flagship Special Lecture, featuring speakers including Government Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Dame Angela McLean, Professor Joeri Rogelj (Director of Research at the Grantham Institute) and Professor Friederike Otto. Find out more and register here. 
  • 5 March 5-7pm: The Case for Ecocide Law: In Conversation with Gerard Forlin KC and Jojo Mehta. Cornerstone Barristers is hosting this in-person seminar in London to discuss a key development in environmental law, with ecocide lawyer Gerard Forlin KC and Jojo Mehta, Co-Founder and CEO of Stop Ecocide International. The conversation will be chaired by Estelle Dehon KC. Register here. 
  • 5 March 6-7pm: Pitches in Peril: What the World Cup Means for Football’s Climate Future. A discussion on the intersection between football and climate change, hosted by UCL in London. Register here. 
  • 12 March 5.30-7pm: book talk and discussion of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism with Thea Riofrancos and Christine Schwöbel-Patel (in London). Register here.
  • 17 March 2026, 5–6pm: Careers in Environmental and Climate Law: Insights from Practitioners. Pavilion Room, Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge. Register here. 
  • 19 March 1-2 pm: UCL Laws’ Current Legal Problems (CLP) lecture: ‘Model Law? Template Legal Culture and the Global Production of Environmental Law’, by Professor Natasha Affolder (The University of British Columbia), Chair: Professor Liz Fisher (University of Oxford). This lecture “investigates the global spread of environmental law through the frequently unacknowledged use of models, templates, and best practices”. Register here.
  • 24 March 6-8pm: City of London People, Planet, Pint sustainability meetup. An informal gathering for sustainability-minded folk, at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub on Fleet Street. More info here.   
  • 22-25 May 2026: UKELA’s Wild Law Weekend (Northumberland, UK): UKELA is organizing a weekend in Northumberland that will include a mixture of talks, a visit to a local site and the option to hike in the spectacular local countryside. More information and registration here.
  • May 2026: Henry Moore Monumental Nature, Kew Gardens (London): the largest outdoor exhibition of Moore’s work ever presented, featuring over 100 pieces including 30 monumental sculptures set throughout the Gardens.
  • Until November 2026: Gathering Around at the Tate (London): this exhibition highlights the connection between environmental and social justice, inviting us to reimagine our relationships with the natural world and each other. More information here.
  • Ongoing during 2026 (London): Birkbeck and LSE have a number of events as part of their climate festivals running throughout the year. See also Climate Connection for more London climate events.  

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.

Member blogs

Check out our blog and look out for upcoming posts! 

If you’re feeling inspired, or looking for a space to express some thoughts on a topic which might be of interest to LVF members, we’d love for you to write a blog for us! Check out our blog post guidelines here and get in touch via legalvoicesforthefuture@gmail.com.

Job / volunteering opportunities

Thinking about pursuing a new job or internship opportunity this spring? The following may be of interest (please not we are not recommending or endorsing these roles):

  • Volunteer Legal Researcher (part time, unpaid) for climate litigation book project – Remote (global) – March–October 2026 (6–8 months, flexible) – find out more here. 
  • Legal Associate, Climate Litigation Network (CLN) – Amsterdam or London – find out more and apply here by 2 March. 
  • Policy Advisor (Climate), WWF UK – Woking, Surrey – apply here by 4 March. 
  • Principal Officer – Lead Environmental Regulator, Natural England – England (multiple locations) / hybrid – apply here by 6 March. 
  • Copywriter, Greenpeace UK – London (hybrid) – apply here by 9 March. 
  • LSE Fellow in the Social Science of Sustainability, Global School of Sustainability at LSE (up to 5 posts available) – London, UK – find out more and apply by 12 March here. 
  • Environmental & Planning Solicitor (5+ PQE), Richard Buxton Solicitors – Cambridge and London – apply here by 13 March. 
  • Campaigns Manager, Surfers Against Sewage – St Agnes, Cornwall – learn more and apply here by 22 March. 
  • Lead – Climate Science, Ahya AI – Dubai, UAE – find out more and apply here by 31 March. 
  • Private Funds (ESG focus) Lawyer , Leading Investment Manager – London – find out more and apply here. 
  • Junior/Mid-Level Associate, Environmental, Proskauer – New York (hybrid) – apply here.
  • Land Use & General Government Advice Attorney, Renne Public Law Group (RPLG) – San Francisco, Sacramento – apply here. 

You can find more opportunities via The Planetary Lawyer Project on LinkedIn here or follow one of our founders, Margherita Cornaglia, who often reposts exciting opportunities. 

We also have a list of organisations who may be offering volunteering, job or internship opportunities on our website. If you know of any opportunities which might be of interest to LVF Members, or if you start a new role which you found through our newsletter, please give us a shout!

Last but not least – check out our website for more information about LVF’s work, its Stewardship Committee, resources, videos and more!

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