Burges Salmon celebrates its ongoing commitment to the environment and to taking positive action on climate change as part of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) held in Glasgow on 31 October – 12 November 2021.
The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and will be an important moment to turn the tide on climate change.
As a founding member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance, Burges Salmon has been championing environmental improvements across the firm and in the legal sector for many years, taking a series of progressive actions including the pursuit of year-on-year energy reductions and efficiency gains, the adoption of carbon-free energy sources and investment in accredited carbon offsetting for residual emissions as a last resort. The firm has made its own commitment to being Net Zero by the end of 2026.
At the same time, the firm has continued to cement its reputation as a well-respected leader for legal advice in environmental and low-carbon projects, establishing a Net Zero Services cross-sector team to assist its clients in driving decarbonisation in the key sectors of energy, transport, the built environment and land use and food production. This specialist sector expertise earned the firm the accolades of ‘Energy and Infrastructure Team of the Year’ and ‘Law Firm of the Year’ at the British Legal Awards 2020.
To bring together industry leaders and key stakeholders and facilitate the necessary joined-up thinking required to address the challenges and opportunities of achieving the government’s Net Zero 2050 target, Burges Salmon has hosted nine virtual roundtables over the past 18 months as part of its ‘Road to Net Zero’ series, welcoming attendees from high-profile organisations such as Climate Change Committee (CCC), Innovate UK, Gravis, Yeo Valley, Severn Trent and many more.
Burges Salmon has also signed up to the Greener Litigation Pledge which was launched at the end of June 2021. The Pledge demonstrates not only an acknowledgment that litigation can have a negative environmental impact, but also a strong commitment to act on it, covering a number of issues that Burges Salmon are already committed to.
The firm has also invested in working with experts ‘Carbon Intelligence’ and ‘Trees for Life’ and has nurtured a number of external collaborations including with the Legal Sustainability Alliance, the Chancery Lane Project, and joining the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance.
Find out more about our Net Zero expertise here.