LEGAL ESG: BENELUX
24 SEPTEMBER 25 I THE HAGUE I IN-PERSON I REspoNsible Law
A peer-driven forum, connecting law firm leaders, lawyers & ESG experts to advance the strategies, risks & responsibilities reshaping legal ESG in Benelux.
environmental social and governance
Shaping the Future of ESG and Law in Benelux
Legal ESG events around the world offer a unique platform for law firm leaders, general counsel, ESG experts, and legal professionals to exchange insights and help shape the ESG agenda in the legal sector.
We are happy to announce a new ESG event focused on Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, Legal ESG: Benelux to be held on 24 September 2025, in The Hague (The Netherlands).
At Legal ESG: Benelux we will discuss key themes including regulatory change, political context, litigation, and the evolving role of legal professionals in the ESG space.
The conference will take place on Wednesday, 24 September 2025, and hosted by the Dutch law firm
La Gro
in The Hague.
We are currently shaping the programme and reaching out to potential speakers, panelists, and moderators. The preliminary list of topics includes (subject to refinement in close coordination with speakers):
- Global Shifts: Trump 2.0, Geopolitics, Risk & Regulation
- Landmark Cases: ESG in the Courtroom
- ESG in the Benelux: Regulatory Developments, Litigation Risks, and ESG & Transactions
- What Clients Want: ESG Challenges and Expectations Unpacked
- B Corp & Beyond: Rethinking Law Firm Values
- EU ESG Agenda: Omnibus & Draghi Insights
- Wellbeing at Work: The Next ESG Frontier
- Biodiversity: The Legal Stakes of Nature Loss
Key Highlights
Global Shifts: Trump 2.0, Geopolitics, Risk & Regulation
Renowned energy and geopolitics expert Gerard Reid explores how global political and financial disruptions—from U.S. elections to energy crises—are reshaping ESG risks, regulation, and strategic decision-making.
Landmark Cases: ESG in the Courtroom
Litigation is increasingly shaping ESG practice. This session delves into influential court cases, shareholder activism, and how legal precedent is evolving across environmental and human rights issues.
ESG in the Benelux: Regulation, Litigation & Transactions
Legal experts from top firms dissect recent ESG-related regulatory shifts, litigation risks, and the growing role of sustainability in corporate transactions within the Benelux region
What Clients Want: ESG Challenges and Expectations Unpacked
Corporate counsel and legal scholars offer a client-side view into ESG priorities. Understand the real-world challenges businesses face—and what they expect from legal advisors.
B Corp & Beyond: ethinking Law Firm Values
Explore how B Corp certification and other values-driven frameworks are transforming law firm culture. Leaders share how they're aligning internal operations with broader ESG goals.
EU ESG Agenda: Omnibus & Draghi Insights
A pan-European panel analyzes key EU ESG initiatives—from the Omnibus Package to Draghi's industrial policy strategy—and their implications for law, business, and governance.
Biodiversity: The Legal Stakes of Nature Loss
Nature loss poses major legal, financial, and ethical risks. This session highlights how lawyers can engage with biodiversity as a growing ESG concern in regulation and strategy.
Ethics & the Rule of Law: The Legal Profession’s Responsibility
With increasing global scrutiny, how will lawyers hold a central role in upholding justice, integrity, and sustainable governance.
Our Speaking Faculty
Hear from leading minds advising on ESG progress throughout Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Sjoerd Kamerbeek
Managing Partner / Corporate Litigation
Van Doorne
Director of the Chair for Social Entrepreneurship Utrecht University
Join the Conversation
Join us to discuss ESG and sustainability for Legal ESG Benelux, the key event shaping the future of ESG law. Hosted by La Gro, this conference will cover regulatory change, AI, talent, and more.
Agenda
24 SEPTEMBER, 2025
8:00 AM- 8:45 AM
Registration / Breakfast
8:45 AM- 9:00 AM
Chairperson's Opening Remarks
CHAIRPERSON
Pamela Cone, ESG Lead, Inside Practice
Robert van Beemen, Partner, DRB Groep
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM / KEYNOTE SESSION
Global Shifts: Trump 2.0, Geopolitics, Risk & Regulation
SPEAKER
Gerard Reid, Energy, Finance & Geopolitics, Making Sense of Disruption, Investor & Strategic Advisor
OVERVIEW
This keynote sets the scene by examining major global forces shaping the future of ESG. Renowned energy and geopolitics expert Gerard Reid discusses how shifting geopolitical tides and economic disruptions – from the “Trump 2.0” administration in the United States to Europe’s energy security challenges – are altering the risk landscape and prompting new regulatory responses.
How will these global shifts influence corporate ESG strategies and what should legal advisors anticipate in an era of uncertainty and change?
9:45 AM – 10:30 AM / PANEL DISCUSSION
Landmark Cases: ESG in the Courtroom / Shareholder Activism
SPEAKERS
Jeroen Raskin, Partner / Corporate M&A, Monard Law
Loes van Dijk, Founder,
Climate Court and EU Climate Pact Ambassador
OVERVIEW
As litigation increasingly shapes ESG practice, this session delves into the courtroom battles and boardroom pressures defining the field. Speakers will review influential cases – from groundbreaking climate lawsuits to precedent-setting human rights claims – and the rise of shareholder activism pushing companies toward stronger ESG commitments.
By examining how judges and regulators are responding, the discussion reveals how legal precedents are evolving across environmental and social issues. Participants will learn how these landmark cases and activist campaigns are reshaping corporate behavior and legal risk considerations.
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Networking AM Coffee Break
11:00 AM - 11:45 PM / FIRESIDE CHAT
Impact Investing
SPEAKERS
Sjoerd Kamerbeek, Managing Partner, Van Doorne, Director of the Chair for Social Entrepreneurship, Utrecht University
Helmer Schukken, Managing partner,
Rubio Impact Ventures
OVERVIEW
This fireside chat explores the power and pitfalls of marrying profit with purpose. Sjoerd Kamerbeek and Helmer Schukken engage in a candid conversation about the rise of impact investing and what it means for both investors and legal advisors.
They will discuss the growth of purpose-driven capital, new regulatory frameworks like the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and the challenges of measuring social and environmental returns. The conversation will highlight how aligning financial performance with positive societal impact is changing expectations for business and the practice of law.
11:45 AM - 12:30 PM / PANEL DISCUSSION
ESG in the Benelux: Regulation, Litigation & Transactions
SPEAKERS
Aukje Haan, Partner / Co-Head,
CMS Commercial Group
OVERVIEW
In the Benelux region (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), ESG is rapidly reshaping the legal landscape. This panel brings together experts to dissect recent ESG-related regulatory shifts (such as the implementation of EU sustainability directives into national law), emerging litigation risks including climate and human rights cases, and the growing role of sustainability in corporate deals and due diligence.
Attendees will gain insight into how regional legal practice is adapting – from compliance strategies to transaction structuring – as sustainability becomes central to business decisions.
12:30 PM - 1:15 PM
Networking Lunch
1:15 PM - 1:45 PM / KEYNOTE SESSION
Sustainable Investments: Navigating Legal and Practical Barriers
SPEAKER
Mathijs Arts, Partner / Corporate M&A and head of ESG Project Team,
La Gro
OVERVIEW
A candid examination of what it takes to integrate sustainability into investment decisions and financial deals – and the hurdles encountered along the way. In this keynote, Mathijs Arts draws on real-world experience to address the legal and practical challenges of sustainable investing.
Topics include navigating complex regulations (like EU sustainable finance rules and taxonomy requirements), overcoming internal resistance or “greenwashing” concerns, and balancing fiduciary duties with ESG goals. The session offers strategies for lawyers and investors to manage risks and seize opportunities in aligning capital with sustainability.
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM / PANEL DISCUSSION
What Clients Want: ESG Challenges and Expectations Unpacked
SPEAKERS
Irina Michkina, Senior Legal Counsel Sustainability, Booking.com
Annelies van Tongeren, Senior Manager / Legal Business Solutions, PwC
Daan van Maurik, PhD Candidate Climate Litigation,
Utrecht University
OVERVIEW
What are clients really seeking from their legal partners when it comes to ESG?
In this session, a panel of in-house counsel and experts provides a client-side perspective on pressing ESG challenges. They will unpack how businesses grapple with new compliance obligations, stakeholder pressures for transparency, and the quest for genuine social impact – and what they expect from law firms in response. From efficient regulatory guidance to proactive risk management and strategic advice, attendees will learn how to better align legal services with evolving client ESG expectations.
2:30 PM - 3:15 PM / PANEL DISCUSSION
B Corp & Beyond: Rethinking Law Firm Values
SPEAKERS
Boris Bekkering, Commercial Director, Regreener
Sjoerd Kamerbeek, Managing Partner,
Van Doorne, Director of the Chair for Social Entrepreneurship,
Utrecht University
OVERVIEW
B Corp certification and similar values-driven frameworks are prompting law firms to rethink their purpose and culture. This session examines how firms are striving to meet high social and environmental standards in their own operations, not just in client work.
Leaders will share how initiatives like seeking B Corp status, enhancing diversity and inclusion, reducing carbon footprints, and expanding pro bono commitments are transforming their organizations. By aligning internal practices with ESG principles, law firms aim to boost credibility, fulfill stakeholder expectations, and inspire a new generation of purpose-driven legal professionals.
3:15 PM - 3:30 PM
Networking PM Coffee Break
3:30 PM - 4:15 PM / PANEL DISCUSSION
EU ESG Agenda: Omnibus & Draghi Insights
SPEAKERS
Anna Duron, Senior Associate / EU Law, Ashurst (Brussels)
Pauline Kuipers, Partner / International Competition and EU Law Group,
Bird & Bird
OVERVIEW
A pan-European panel analyzes the EU’s evolving ESG agenda – from the “Omnibus” legislative package to insights from Mario Draghi’s industrial strategy vision. Panelists will demystify the Omnibus package an initiative aimed at streamlining sustainability regulations and reducing red tape in line with Draghi’s recommendations for boosting European competitiveness.
They will also discuss how Draghi’s report on European competitiveness calls for balancing ambitious ESG goals with economic practicality. This discussion will illuminate the implications of these high-level policies for corporate compliance, legal practice, and governance across EU member states.
4:15 PM - 4:45 PM / PRESENTATION
Biodiversity: The Legal Stakes of Nature Loss
SPEAKER
Renske Mackor, Director / Legal Sustainability and Research into Rights of Nature,
PwC
OVERVIEW
Biodiversity loss is emerging as the next frontier in ESG and law. This session highlights why declining ecosystems present not only ethical and environmental concerns but also tangible legal and financial risks for companies. Experts will discuss evolving regulations and standards aimed at protecting nature – from European biodiversity directives to innovative concepts like granting legal rights to rivers and forests.
Attendees will learn how lawyers can help clients navigate new compliance requirements, anticipate litigation related to ecosystem damage, and incorporate biodiversity considerations into corporate strategy and risk management.
4:45 PM - 5:15PM / CLOSING KEYNOTE
Ethics, the Rule of Law, and the Role of the Legal Profession in ESG
SPEAKERS
Christiaan Alberdingk Thijm, Partner, Free Speech, Privacy, Reputation Management, Bureau Brandeis
OVERVIEW
The legal profession holds a central and profound role in shaping a just, equitable, and sustainable society. Legal professionals are entrusted not only with upholding the law but also with the ethical responsibility to ensure that the law—and its application—serves the greater good.
Today, the profession stands at a critical crossroads. In the face of mounting global challenges—including rising corruption, erosion of ethical standards, and increasing threats to the Rule of Law—lawyers must act with agency and urgency. Whether through litigation, policy reform, public advocacy, or strategic client advice, legal professionals have both the opportunity and the obligation to influence change and uphold legal and institutional integrity.
5:15 PM - 5:30 PM
Chairperson’s Closing Remarks
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
Networking Reception
REGISTRATION
Corporate Counsel, Operations, ESG
€495
Access to all Legal ESG Benelux conference sessions, networking, and community events for 1 person
Law Firms
Legal Services
€695
Access to all Legal ESG Benelux conference sessions, networking, and community events for 1 person
Solution Providers
€1,295
Access to all Legal ESG Benelux conference sessions, networking, and community events for 1 person