Modern Law Magazine Issue 67

INTERVIEWS
INTERVIEWS
Caroline May:
The Importance of
Educated Involvement
Modern Law sat down with Caroline May of the LSA, Law Society,
and Norton Rose Fullbright to discuss her journey to becoming
Co-Chair of the LSA, what the LSA and Law Society have been up to,
and her predictions for the future of environmental commitments.
Can you tell us about your journey to becoming Co-
Chair of the Legal Sustainability Alliance and Partner
at Norton Rose Fulbright?What inspired you to
pursue a career in law and sustainability?
I’ve been doing Environmental Law long before it was called
sustainability. I have been in this area of work for around 35 years,
well before it was fashionable, and my route into it was Toxic
Tort Litigation. When I was a young lawyer at Clifford Chance, I
handled two very big cases of tort litigation, one involving dioxin
contamination and the other involving an explosive landfill site.
Both cases were very high profile and involved organisations such
as Greenpeace. These cases took between five to eight years
each, and by the time they were high court multi-party pieces of
litigation, I was the pollution and contamination expert in-house.
Shortly after came the Environmental Protection Act (1990)
meaning that what had been water and land contamination
became environmental contamination when the law was codified.
Thereafter, I became a fully-fledged environmental lawyer.
As for my journey to becoming Co-Chair of the LSA, I first
became a member when it was first formed and eventually, I was
approached when the previous leader was standing down to take
the position alongside Matt Sparks, who is the Sustainability
Manager at Linklaters.
I came to be Chair of the Law Society’s Climate Change Working
Group again by being approached by the then president. At
the time, the Law Society was facing a challenge from its own
members asking what the Law Society was doing about climate
change, and why there was no specific committee to respond
to issues and government consultation. We spoke with the Law
Society’s council about a committee, and the Climate Change
Working Group was born. This led to the Law Society Resolution
on Climate Emergency in October 2021, just before COP in
Glasgow. After that, we were mandated to produce the first Law
Society guidance for the profession on climate change, the first
of its kind in any profession. It has now been picked up by many
Bar and Law councils and societies around the world.
What are some of the key initiatives or projects that
the LSA has been involved in to promote/integrate
sustainability and responsible business practices
among law firms?
The Legal Sustainability Alliance (LSA) has been actively involved
in promoting sustainability and responsible business practices
among law firms through various initiatives. Carbon Footprint
Reporting: Encouraging law firms to measure and report
their environmental impact. Sustainable Practices Guidance:
Providing guidance on energy efficiency, waste reduction,
and eco-friendly procurement. Legal Sector Alliance Carbon
Commitment: Collaborating with law firms committed to reducing
carbon emissions. Knowledge Sharing and Events: Organising
events for firms to share experiences, best practices, and discuss
sustainability. Collaboration with Stakeholders: Working with
legal professionals, clients, and environmental organisations to
promote sustainability. Biodiversity and Nature-Based Solutions:
Encouraging firms to consider biodiversity and nature-based
solutions. Advocacy for Policy Change: Engaging in advocacy
efforts for policies supporting sustainability in the legal sector.
Employee Engagement Programmes: Encouraging firms to
implement programmes that raise awareness and involve
employees in sustainability initiatives.
How can law firms effectively integrate sustainability
practices into their operations and services, and what
benefits can they derive from doing so?
They can follow the guidance firstly. Sustainability has challenges
and opportunities. The challenges are the supply chain, gathering
ESG data from them, setting and verifying net zero targets, and
other things like reducing emissions from work travel. Sustainability
management needs to be integrated into a firm with a committee
that every department is represented on. Enshrining environmental
management principles through every area of the business is
vital. The benefits from integrating sustainable practices are farreaching.
Clients are expecting firms to be setting goals and striving
to reach them. Sticking to environmental goals can help with client
retention, and is a business-critical issue. There are also lots of new
areas of law that have opened up in the profession and has allowed
new and different talent to join.
“Sustainability has challenges
and opportunities.”
“We work with some of the
biggest clients in the world
and that allows us to promote
the agenda. Our responsible
business and sustainability
initiatives are something to
be proud of.”
Norton Rose Fulbright has been recognized
for its commitment to sustainability, including
its ranking in the FTSE4Good Index. Could you
share some specific examples of sustainability
initiatives or achievements that you’re
particularly proud of within the firm?
We won the first Infrastructure Journal ESG Award, and that
recognized some of the work around the world, such as
renewable energy projects. That kind of pioneering work is
something I am very proud we were involved in. Other things I am
proud of is our work within carbon capture, and working on new
technology and initiatives, and energy transitions.
We work with some of the biggest clients in the world and that
allows us to promote the agenda. Our responsible business and
sustainability initiatives are something to be proud of. How we
produce and deliver our work in this area, such as our work with
Save the Children, is something else I’m pleased to be a part of.
NRF also does a lot of small community projects we don’t shout
about, but are of equal importance to us, and our staff give
up their time to volunteer in the community. I am proud of us
professionally for what we do, and it is gratifying to find that it is
recognized by our clients, peers, and industry leaders.
10 11