8:50 AM - 9:00 AM

Chairperson’s Welcome Remarks

Natalie Runyon / ESG Strategist / Thomson Reuters

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM / Opening Keynote Address 

Developing an ESG Mindset 

Today, companies are stretching their resources and budgets as they figure out how to disclose metrics, deal with material risks, and capture new opportunities, all while storytelling about impact – without greenwashing! Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance issues cut at the core of business, threatening to upend industries, the markets, and capitalism itself. Yet, despite a renewed focus on ESG, companies struggle to understand its meaning and how it can help address new interconnected crises. Join us for the kick-off with the “benevolent troublemaker” Matthew Sekol, ESG and Sustainability Advocate working at Microsoft and Author of ESG Mindset. 

Matthew Sekol / ESG and Sustainability Advocate working / Microsoft / Author / ESG Mindset 

9:30 AM -10:15 AM / DISCUSSION

Post-Election ESG: What to expect post November 5?

Ty'Meka Reeves-Sobers, Clifford Chance Partner, will lead this panel discussion of to explore the steps we should / we could be taking to prepare our companies / clients for the ESG landscape AFTER the 2024 US elections. 

• How will the election results shape ESG?
• How should you be preparing now for either scenario?
• Is preparation even possible, given the vastly different policy and governance positions?

Ty'Meka Reeves-Sobers / Partner / Clifford Chance

Lawrence Heim / Editor / PracticalESG.com / Director of Sustainability / CCRcorp

10:15 AM -10:30 AM / SPOTLIGHT 

Turning Sustainability into Your Firm's Competitive Edge

Join Corinne Hanson, VP of Sustainability at Greenplaces, as she shares insights on how law firms can leverage the current sustainability landscape to stand out from the competition. In this engaging talk, you'll discover compelling reasons why embracing sustainability is crucial for your firm's success, the latest regulations and legal challenges, and how to navigate them with confidence, and how Greenplaces can be your trusted partner in kickstarting your carbon accounting and reporting journey.

Corinne Hanson / VP of Sustainability / Greenplaces

10:30 AM -11:00 AM

Networking Break 

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM / PRESENTATION

ESG Litigation and Greenwashing Update 

How do you navigate the complexities of ESG compliance and litigation risk management, while safeguarding against legal challenges in the evolving ESG landscape?  As legal scrutiny intensifies around misleading environmental claims, this session will explore emerging trends, key case studies, and regulatory changes affecting corporate practices. 

Jacob Hupart / Partner, Complex Commercial and Securities Litigation, Co-Chair of the ESG Practice Group / Mintz 

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM / PANEL 

ESG Regulations and Reporting Requirements Reshaping Corporate Compliance 

From the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issuing its climate disclosure rules, to the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), this Regulatory and Reporting Update session will examine the evolving landscape of ESG regulations and reporting requirements that will reshape corporate compliance in 2024 and beyond. 

MODERATOR

Amma Anaman / VP & Senior Counsel / American Express 

PANEL

Kristina Wyatt / Deputy General Counsel and Chief Sustainability Officer / Persefoni 

Antoine Peter / Senior Manager, ESG & Sustainable Finance / Arendt

12:15 PM – 1:00 PM / PANEL 

Artificial Intelligence, ESG, and the Impact on the Legal Profession

• How will artificial intelligence change the practice of law?   
• How do firms and legal departments train appropriately?   
• What is the ideal governance model?   
• How will it support ESG programs and progress?   
• What will it mean for the “billable hour” financial model of service providers? 

CHAIR

Laura Zizzo / Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer / Manifest Climate 

PANEL

Shelley Gilberg / Clients & Markets Leader Managed Accounts / PwC Canada 

Richard Peterson / VP of Strategy and Innovation, Global Head of Data, AI & ESG Strategy / Diligent 

Michael Stiller / New Growth Initiatives / NASDAQ 

1:00 PM - 1:45 PM

Networking Lunch

1:45 PM – 2:30 PM / PANEL

ESG Developments: The In-House View

In a landscape increasingly influenced by ESG-related legal and disclosure requirements, ESG corporate governance and compliance are of prime importance. Yet these legal requirements have the potential for complexities as one regulator's concerns may be another regulator's priorities. 

This session highlights how in-house counsel from a variety of sectors consider and address the dilemmas arising from ESG governance, risk, and compliance questions facing their organizations. 

CHAIR

Steve Nickelsburg / Partner / Clifford Chance 

PANEL

Alison Proshan /  Strategic Counsel / McKinsey & Co. 

Amy Hermalik / Director, ESG Counsel / NVIDIA

Charlotte Peyraud / Director and Co-Head, Sustainability Advisory Services / Houlihan Lokey  

2:30 PM - 3:15 PM / PANEL

The Market for ESG Professional Services 

• What services do clients need when it comes to ESG Performance, Compliance and Disclosure?   
• What impact will the SEC regulations have, assuming implementation at some point? 
• Or, do the SEC regulations even matter to companies already complying with more stringent extraterritorial regulations? 

CHAIR 

Miriam Wrobel / Senior Managing Director, Global Leader of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Sustainability / FTI Consulting 

PANEL

David Curran / Co-Chair, Sustainability & ESG Advisory Practice / Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Kristen Gray / Americas Sustainability Tax Leader / EY

Joshua Hatch / Principal / Brightworks Sustainability

3:15 PM - 3:45 PM / PRESENTATION

Backwards or Forwards? Have U.S. Law Firms Advanced their Responsible Business Agendas in 2024?

This session will share the highlights of the second annual assessment of law firm sophistication when it comes to responsible business. Has the industry progressed? What strategies have firms taken in response to the pro and ante ESG voice? Are we seeing an increasing divergence in approach or more alignment? This year Lamp House have analyzed the public-facing activities of the full Amlaw 100 and the top 100 UK firms, along with the survey data from Chambers’ Talent Research. The session will also cover, how more than 3,000 Associates working at U.S. law firms feel about their firm’s performance on environment, people and governance strategies.

SPEAKER

Lisa Hart Shepherd / Chief Executive Officer / Lamp House Strategy

3:45 PM - 4:00 PM  

Networking Break 

4:00 PM - 4:45 PM  

Preparing for Transformation: Law Schools and the Next Generation of Lawyers  

• How law schools need to transform curriculum to address gaps and adapt to rapidly changing real-world dynamics.
• New world of skills needed for law students and lawyers to adequately advise clients and compete for business. 
• How, and in what capacity, law schools and other academic environments are changing accordingly.
• How legal institutions, and the profession at large, can leverage learnings from other disciplines to evolve skills and competencies (e.g. Business schools, consultancies). 

David Curran / Co-Chair, Sustainability & ESG Advisory Practice / Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP 

Kristina Wyatt / Deputy General Counsel and Chief Sustainability Officer / Persefoni

Caitlin Moon / Director of Innovation Design, Program on Law & Innovation / Vanderbilt University Law School

4:45 PM - 5:30 PM / PANEL DISCUSSION  

How ESG, the Rule of Law and Corruption Connect

The Interdependent Triad: Rule of Law, ESG and Corruption

When strength of the Rule of Law declines in countries worldwide (as it has since 2019), ESG performance also declines and corruption increases. How can legal professionals strengthen the Rule of Law to better progress their ESG objectives? How can legal advisers ensure that their clients recognize serious business and greenwashing risks in countries with weak Rule of Law? 

Besty Anderson, Executive Director of non-profit World Justice Project, will discuss their Rule of Law Index and how it impacts Legal ESG, with a General Counsel and a law firm leader to address how they are navigating this triad. Moderated by Leigh Dance, ELD International LLC.

Leigh Dance / President / ELD International LLC

Betsy Andersen / Executive Director / World Justice Project

Bridget Murphy / Senior Counsel / Mastercard

5:30 PM

Closing Remarks / Key Take-Aways / Next Steps

Natalie Runyon / ESG Strategist / Thomson Reuters

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Networking Reception

$795