Andrew Holroyd explains how the law society aims to help law firms adopt good environmental practice and that the choice facing solicitors is noT simply profit or planet


‘Tackling climate change is everyone’s responsibility.’ The phrase has become a cliché; a default slogan favoured by government, councils and non-governmental organisations alike. But is it everyone’s responsibility? Beyond diligently separating our refuse, and beyond Westminster, Brussels and Kyoto, is there anything we as solicitors can do? Indeed, should responsibility fall on businesses like ours at all?



I believe the answer to all the above is a resounding and emphatic yes. Law offices may not have a forest of chimneys spewing pollutants into the atmosphere like some industries, but given that our profession contributes 1.5% of GDP and employs more than a quarter of a million people, it is indisputable that we are significant energy users and thereby have a significant – be it less evident – impact on the environment.



With the environment high on the political agenda, we can be sure the Climate Change Bill is just the tip of a metaphorical iceberg that will not be melting away. Environmental legislation and accompanying targets and standards will, with time, become more numerous and more challenging. Businesses will no longer have the luxury of choosing whether to change or not – PLCs are already subject to environmental reporting requirements and these are likely to apply to limited liability partnerships in the future.



This will not just be change resulting from government fiats. Just as clients want to see evidence of sound equality and diversity policies and other evidence of corporate responsibility, environmentally sustainable policies will increasingly become a business prerequisite. Procuring services from environmentally unfriendly sources (at whatever point of the supply chain) will be seen as a risk.



Moreover, to attract and retain the best staff, firms must understand that environmental credentials matter; graduates gravitate toward those firms that can demonstrate they are doing all they can to be responsible across the range of business activity.



My first meeting on becoming President in August was with the not-for-profit organisation, Business in the Community (BiTC), which is spearheading a drive for environmentally sustainable business. It still ranks as one of the most inspiring meetings I have had as President.



Fast-forward to last week and the London offices of DLA Piper, where Nigel Knowles, joint chief executive, Julia Cleverdon, chief executive of BiTC and I launched the Legal Sector Alliance (see [2007] Gazette, 11 October, 1). A partnership of leading regional and national law firms and in-house counsel led and supported by the Law Society, DLA Piper and BiTC, it has a single aim: to drive environmental sustainability in the legal sector.



For our part, as the voice of the profession, the Law Society is uniquely placed to help firms by demystifying the science, cutting through the jargon, and promoting simple, positive steps that all solicitors and all firms can take. Above all, I do not want any solicitors to think that this is a binary choice: profit or planet. The key to the work of the alliance is to help, not hinder, firms.



First, we will do everything we can to navigate firms through the steps necessary to adopt good environmental practice. This means identifying the right information and guidance to disseminate, together with developing toolkits, so that we become the primary one-stop-shop for firms and in-house legal departments. No one should underestimate that small changes can have a big impact, from advising how to make more efficient use of office supplies to practical steps to make savings on energy use (not least on the bottom line).



The Society, through our specialist law reform committees, is also in a good position to scan the legislative horizon, whether it be Brussels, London or Cardiff, and help shape laws that are good for the environment, business and the profession.



I am particularly pleased that so many law firms have acknowledged the special role the Law Society should play. And we intend to lead by example. As a significant consumer of energy, we have conducted a thorough audit of our own carbon footprint and have signed up to a target that will culminate in achieving the recognised ISO14001 standard.



We are not alone. The best practice that already exists among firms right up and down the country is hugely impressive. But it is also no surprise. Ours is a profession with such a rich record of pro bono work and engaging with communities and in wider society, so I have every confidence that solicitors both in-house and in firms big and small will embrace this agenda.



In my last column, I explained how eager I am for the Law Society to ‘promote excellence’. This is about far more than simply celebrating the success stories in our profession – it is about helping every firm adapt to meet every challenge that the future holds. Environmental sustainability falls firmly under this rubric and I look forward to updating you on developments over the coming year.



To register your interest, email kate.walmsley@lawsociety.org.uk.



PS Finally I wanted to recognise how hard pressed times are for criminal legal aid practitioners at the moment, and to take this opportunity to remind you all about the rally that will take place at Methodist Central Hall in London on 23 October.



Andrew Holroyd is President of the Law Society