Legal firms lead the professional services sector in investigating their carbon footprint, according to a league table published this week by an industry forum.

Of 50 professional services firms to have had their carbon footprint measured by an independent assessor, 32 belong to the legal profession, according to the inaugural Carbon Verified List, published by the Managing Partners’ forum in its Carbon Footprint Report 2008.

Magic circle firms Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters appear on the list. Ted Burke, chief executive of Freshfields, said that independently measuring carbon footprints is the first step towards meaningful action to reducing emissions.

When it comes to action, however, the report finds evidence of scepticism among senior managers, who prefer to go for ‘easy wins’ such as reducing the use of plastic cups rather than ‘partner-sensitive issues’ such as replacing air travel with video conferencing.