Impact Done Differently

If you are an event organiser, to add your event to your list, please email us at support@prolawyersesg.com. Currently, we only list UK online and in-person events and selected non-UK events held online.

 A webinar presented by the ESG Subcommittee of the IBA Law Firm Management Committee, supported by the IBA European Regional Forum.

This webinar will take stock of today’s increasingly tumultuous global landscape, where a number of factors – wars in Ukraine/Russia and Gaza, the rise of other global powers such as China, the climate crisis, global elections and artificial intelligence – are leading to a dramatic shift in the geopolitical landscape. More than ever law firms have important, strategic decisions to make, in terms of:

• taking a stand/making a statement on an issue;

• actions to take/actions not to take as a firm;

• clients to represent/clients not to represent;

• stakeholder engagement;

• expectations of talent/recruits;

• politics versus business decisions; and

• transparency.

This webinar will offer timely discussion of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) expectations and challenges for lawyers and their law firms/companies given today’s rapidly changing world. More specifically, the webinar will serve as a follow-up – after the US presidential elections on 5 November 2024 – to the first webinar on this topic, which took place on 22 February 2024.

Link. Free.  Online. 3pm - 4.30pm GMT

This is an online launch event on the Guide on the Transposition of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, where the Danish Institute for Human Rights will present the guide, followed by an exchange among guest speakers who will share their views on key issues for the transposition of the CSDDD into national laws.

A highly politicised and lengthy negotiation process has left the CSDDD with certain gaps and ambiguities, which should be resolved in the transposition laws and through the European Commission’s guidance. The new DIHR guide:

• Makes recommendations to ensure that the core due diligence concepts are transposed in a way that captures the intentions in the Directive, aligning as closely as possible with the expectations of international instruments like the UNGPs. 
• Explores ambiguities in some of the language in the CSDDD and offer recommendations for resolving it. 
• Identifies opportunities for pushing for more ambitious requirements.
• Offers suggestions on the design of Supervisory Authorities and next steps for implementation.

Link. Free.  Online. 1 - 2.15 pm GMT

This annual lecture is hosted by law firm Ashurst and includes the distinguished speaker, Richard Macrory, CBE, Hon KC, presenting his talk 'Confessions of a Tunneller - Lawyers and the environment'.

Richard is a UKELA patron and was also UKELA's very first chair. He is one of the leading environmental lawyers of his generation, and has had a significance influence of the development of British environmental law and policy. Richard promises to provide insights from his experiences, and will pose broader questions about the future of environmental law, including:

• We have now created a vast body of specialized laws, but are they providing the answers?   
• Do we need to think about some fundamental principles of law to develop?
• And since enforcement is Richard's number one issue, he will address unfinished business on sanctions, and future challenges on enforcement.

Link. Paid.  Hybrid Event, London. Registration from 5.30pm, Lecture at 6pm to 7pm, followed by drinks. 

Over three days, participants take part in 60+ panel discussions on topics that relate to the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights  (the United Nations "Protect, Respect and Remedy" Framework), as well as current business-related human rights issues.

The Forum is the foremost event to network, share experiences and learn about the latest initiatives to promote corporate respect for human rights. You may read the event's Concept Note here.

Link. Hybrid Event, Geneva. {A UN or WHO account log in is required to Apply to Participate}

Organised by the Office of the NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner, this event will bring together diverse experts and stakeholders from business, governments, human rights, research, lived experience leadership and advocacy, frontline and community services, sustainable procurement, and industrial relations, both in Australia and internationally. 

Day 1 program schedule

• Opening remarks
• Session one - Bridging the gap between C-suite and worksite: modern slavery in the construction industry 
• Session two - Finding consistency between competition law and anti-slavery collaborations 
• Day One concludes / Preview of Day Two  

Day 2 program schedule

• Session one: Update on the Australian country visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery
• Session two: Enabling remedy – building a survivor led Anti-slavery movement
• Session three: Modern slavery in ICT hardware supply-chains

Day 1 Registration here and Day 2 Registration here. Online Event, Free.

This event has been organised by the American Bar  Association. Mandatory corporate reporting of greenhouse gas emissions is a rapidly developing area of the law. This program will detail the latest climate disclosure developments stemming from California's laws, European Union disclosure mandates, and the SEC's proposed climate disclosure rule and related litigation. 

Link. Paid.  Webinar Event, 1pm EST.