Law Society launches climate change guidance for in-house lawyers

Bethany Wren (she/her) is head of content and events at LawCareers.Net

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The Law Society of England and Wales has launched new climate change guidance for in-house solicitors to help legal teams in the public and private sectors identify and manage climate-related legal risks within their organisations.

The guidance builds on the Law Society’s 2023 climate change guidance, which outlined solicitors’ core professional duties and wider responsibilities in the context of climate change.

The new guidance sets out:

• how climate change engages in-house solicitors’ core professional duties;
• where climate-related legal risk arises in day-to-day practice, from regulatory compliance, disclosure and contracts to good governance, greenwashing and litigation exposure; and
• a practical checklist to help in-house teams of any size embed climate considerations into their legal advice, contracts, policies and reporting.

Law Society President Mark Evans said climate change was “reshaping the legal landscape” and that reducing carbon emissions forms part of responsible legal practice. He added that the guidance was designed to help in-house solicitors understand the implications of climate change for their organisations and identify practical, proportionate steps to reduce environmental impact.

Commenting on the unique position of in-house solicitors, Evans said: “Unlike external advisers, in-house counsel must navigate climate risks within the organisations they serve directly. They must balance legal duties against institutional pressures or business needs.”

You can read the climate change guidance for in-house legal counsel via the Law Society’s website.

Find out more about working in-house with our Feature on in-house training contracts and careers.