As regulators, investors, employees and consumers across the globe push for new laws and clear standards to hold corporations accountable for environmental, social and governance reporting, companies are increasingly tapping their legal departments to take the lead on corporate ESG or play a significant role in the effort. 

At Medtronic, a global medical device and tech firm with a U.S. headquarters in Minneapolis, the in-house legal team is also the company’s ESG hub, “because legal can serve a central coordinating function for the multiple work streams that flow from the ESG program,” said Ivan Fong, the company’s general counsel. 

“For all companies, but particularly in public companies, GCs play an important role in facilitating appropriate board oversight of ESG and ensuring robust review and internal assurance of company disclosures,” Fong added. 

Continued