By Philip Hoult


A groundbreaking alliance was formed this week in a bid to encourage the legal profession to commit to environmental sustainability.



The Law Society, UK/US firm DLA Piper and Business in the Community (BiTC) held the inaugural meeting of the Legal Sector Alliance (LSA), which is intended to provide leadership on green issues to law firms of all sizes as well as in-house legal departments.



The launch comes just days after the Law Society Council agreed a pledge that will see Chancery Lane become carbon neutral by 2011.



The LSA is to establish a leaders group, made up of senior management from law firms and in-house lawyers, and a task force, drawn from sustainability experts from the legal sector. The two groups will work on establishing the alliance's strategy, priorities and objectives.



The alliance also plans to recruit a full-time project manager on a 12-month contract in due course. Firms that join will be asked to make a financial contribution to meet the costs of employing the project manager and carrying out the LSA's activities.



Law Society chief executive Des Hudson said he is particularly keen to put a range of options in front of small and medium-sized firms, such as joint purchasing initiatives for energy and recycled paper. 'I hope as many firms as possible will seek to participate,' he added.



DLA Piper chief executive Nigel Knowles, who will chair the LSA's leader group, said: 'This initiative is about collaboration within the legal sector in order to develop best practice and tackle the climate change issues that specifically relate to us as a sector. We can also play an important role as influencers, working with our clients and suppliers to create a more sustainable supply chain going forward.'



Julia Cleverdon, chief executive of BiTC, the corporate social responsibility movement that has more than 700 leading UK companies as members, said: 'The alliance is an outstanding example of how forward-thinking businesses can join forces with their peers to really make a difference on this most critical of issues.' The LSA task force will be chaired by BiTC's environment director, Jim Haywood.



The Law Society's environmental management scheme, adopted by council last week, includes measures such as switching to recycled paper for business use and trialling the introduction of 'green' energy. Measures put in place since 2005 have seen Chancery Lane's energy consumption reduced by 30%.



Paul Stookes, member for environmental law and an associate at Cambridge-based niche firm Richard Buxton, told council: 'The Law Society will not have all the answers - it is a challenge to be carbon neutral. It is important to identify the steps and what needs to be done. [The targets in the scheme] are sufficient to make a difference and do not just pay lip service.'