ONLINE // OCTOBER 4/5/6 // 2022
Addressing the business critical imperative of Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance in the Legal Profession
Join your peers at the Legal ESG Summit, taking place online on October 4th - 6th, 2022 - As the legal profession comes together for 3 days of discussion, debate, and examination of the most critical ESG challenges that law firms and their clients face.
The global impact of the pandemic, social unrest, and geopolitical conflict, compounded with the climate crisis and the demand for equity, equality, and transparency within corporations and institutions, continue to accelerate the calls to significantly address ESG - Law firms must respond, not only by serving clients but also by ensuring their own ESG house is in order.
These demands are increasing at an exponential rate.
Today's law firm leaders need to understand the obligations they face and the opportunities ESG presents. Internal processes and cultures of siloed action committees need to be broken down and reimagined. ESG-related initiatives must evolve from “nice to have” selling points on the firm’s websites to robust, effective ESG programs that are measurable and accountable to stakeholders.
To address these ESG challenges, a paradigm shift must take place.
The Legal ESG Summit taking place on October 4th - 6th, will bring together law firm leaders, lawyers and the clients they serve, and the leading ESG subject matter experts. Together, we will explore what ESG really means for and within the legal profession, examine why law firms must embrace ESG as a business-critical priority, and share how law firm leadership can address ESG strategically and holistically.
Clients and other stakeholders expect nothing less.
Join your peers at the Legal ESG Summit as the legal profession comes together for 3 days of discussion, debate, and examination of the most critical ESG challenges that law firms and their clients face.
Get insight, analysis, and perspectives from across the legal ESG ecosystem.
DAY 1:
All times are listed in US Central Time:
San Francisco -2 / Chicago 0 / New York +1 / London +6 / Zurich +7 / Moscow +8 / Tokyo +14 / Sydney +15
7:45 AM – 8:00 AM
US Central Time
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
US Central Time
OPENING ADDRESS
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
US Central Time
REPORT FINDINGS / PRESENTATION
At last year's Legal ESG summit Paul Clements-Hunt and Professor Paul Watchman took a deep dive into Chasing the Dragon, they are back for part 2.
Special Legal Advisor
UNEP
Director, Mishcon Purpose
Mishcon de Reya LLP
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
US Central Time
PANEL DISCUSSION
Chief Futurist
SK Futures Inc.
President
Madison River Group, LLC
CEO
North By Northwest Environmental Solutions
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
US Central Time
Converse, collaborate, and connect with contacts old and new, in our face to face virtual networking session.
1:00PM – 2:00PM
US Central Time
Dynamic changes in ESG issues continue to have an impactful effect on corporate governance and fiduciary duty. Boards now must live with ESG considerations as a significant component of its oversight of risk management, corporate strategy, and regulatory compliance, as well as assessing performance and reporting progress. These changes are driven by the demands of major institutional investors and asset managers and other stakeholders, anti-ESG critics, as well as rapidly increasing influence of regulators through domestic and global legislation and regulation. The session will review the evolving role of the Board in addressing these issues as well as:
Moderator
Corporate and ESG Law Partner Gowling WLG
Panel
Chair, Corporate Governance, Co-Chair, Capital Markets & Securities / ESG
Cozen O’Connor
Chief Governance Officer, VP and Corporate Secretary
Prudential Financial
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
US Central Time
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) should be an integral aspect of planning, people and culture, and purpose. It must extend across the entire organization—and involve people and data from every function. Many law firms are taking an active approach to ESG planning and implementation. Employees, communities, business partners, and clients are mindful of companies’ ESG strategies, practices, and performance. This program will focus on how law firms should communicate their ESG efforts in the face of global issues like the pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, the climate crisis, and the growing demand for equity and transparency within law firms and institutions
During this program, the panelists will address:
Moderator
President / CEO
Furia Rubel
Panel
Managing Member
McGlinchey Stafford
Elizabeth Carlock Phillips
Executive Director
Phillips Foundation
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
US Central Time
PANEL DISCUSSION
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has shown significant regulatory focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. This year witnessed consequential rulemaking activity, including the proposed climate disclosure rule, and even more is on the horizon. Beginning with the establishment of the Climate and ESG Task Force in the Division of Enforcement, the SEC has simultaneously demonstrated its willingness to pursue enforcement action in this space.
This panel will explain why professionals should closely watch these developments and discuss practical considerations for adapting to the evolving environment. Topics include:
Moderator
Global Co-Chair ESG Practice & Partner
Latham & Watkins
Panel
Bianca Martinez
SVP, Assistant Corporate Secretary and Assistant General Counsel
Realty Income Corporation
Linda Park
Senior Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Edwards Lifesciences
Bradley T. Kamlet
Associate General Counsel
Qorvo, Inc.
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
US Central Time
Legal ESG Virtual Networking
Converse, collaborate, and connect with contacts old and new, in our face to face virtual networking session.
DAY 2:
All times are listed in US Central Time:
San Francisco -2 / Chicago 0 / New York +1 / London +6 / Zurich +7 / Moscow +8 / Tokyo +14 / Sydney +15
7:45 AM – 8:00 AM
US Central Time
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
US Central Time
PANEL DISCUSSION
Like all types of businesses around the globe, law firms are facing the implications of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) impacts on their business like never before. Clients are not only asking law firms to substantively address their own internal ESG positions, but to also guide and advise them in their own ESG programs.
This dual pressure coming directly from the marketplace is presenting both great opportunities and unique risk for law firms as they navigate this dynamic, vast and closely watched landscape. In this session we will look carefully at the client perspective to better understand what their expectations are, what law firms are doing well, and how they can do better. Topics include:
Moderator
Senior Counsel
Dentons
Panel
Partner
Dentons
Global Head of ESG
Dentons
Chief Legal Officer
Zurich North America
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
US Central Time
PANEL DISCUSSION
Transformational governance is not a new legal concept. It is a way of thinking and acting responsibly and in the best interests of a business with its long-term sustainability in mind. It recognizes that the society and environment in which businesses operate are assets on which they depend. It, therefore, dictates that businesses be mindful of and transparent and accountable for their ESG impacts. This approach to corporate responsibility and accountability dovetails with the directors’ fiduciary duties to the businesses they serve.
Lawyers are also bound by fiduciary responsibilities to act in the best interests of their clients. When that client is a business, advice and counsel must reflect the principles of
transformational governance for it to be in the best interest of the business’s long-term, sustainable health.
This session will address how lawyers can fulfill their professional and ethical mandate by playing a pivotal role in shaping the structures and culture of our society and economic system with the future in mind.
Moderators
Co-Founder
Stories Evolved
Co-Founder
Stories Evolved
Panel
Fmr. Lead of Governance
UNGC
Tom Shropshire
General Counsel and Company Secretary
Diageo plc
Cynthia Williams
Professor of Law
University of Illinois
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
US Central Time
PANEL DISCUSSION
Value Driven Stakeholder Governance:
The what, the why and the how?
Leading boards and businesses in today’s dynamic operating context is tough. Effective stakeholder governance is an effective tool to enable boards and management teams to balance the short and long-term value creation and to bring the voice of an increasingly broad, diverse, and complex stakeholder mix into effective decision making.

Done well, it strengthens an organization and ensures its long-term success — to the benefit of its shareholders and broader material stakeholders. Done poorly, it damages the license to operate of boards and leaders – impacting trust, reputation, access to capital, revenues, and culture.
In this session, we will discuss our experience of working with boards, commercial leaders, and lawyers to demystify:
Moderator
Managing Director
Hayhoe Consulting
Panel
Senior Vice President Sustainability & Governance
Statkraft
World Economic Forum Fellow and Head of Corporate Governance
Baker McKenzie
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
US Central Time
Converse, collaborate, and connect with contacts old and new, in our face to face virtual networking session.
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
US Central Time
An interactive workshop leveraging Insights, Intentionality, Inclusion, and Innovation to deliver meaningful Impact.
Manu Kanwar
Co-Founder
Lex Solutions
Stuart Woollard
Managing Partner
OMS LLP
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
US Central Time
While in its infancy in the legal profession, linking ESG performance to executive compensation is a growing trend in the corporate world. As the profession begins to link rewards to drive possible ESG behaviors:
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
US Central Time
PANEL DISCUSSION
Clients, new hires, employees, communities - many are keenly interested in your ESG initiatives, expecting that your organization's values align with their values. Stakeholder concerns and expectations can be individualistic in focus. How does an organization begin to collect data to share with stakeholders to respond to their concerns?
In this session, we will cover:
Executive Director
Law Firm Sustainability Network
Vice President
Vorgate LLC (EcoAnalyze)
Peter Werner
Partner
Cooley LLP
Haley Czarnek
Law Students for Climate Accountability
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
US Central Time
Legal ESG Virtual Networking
Converse, collaborate, and connect with contacts old and new, in our face to face virtual networking session.
DAY 3:
All times are listed in US Central Time:
San Francisco -2 / Chicago 0 / New York +1 / London +6 / Zurich +7 / Moscow +8 / Tokyo +14 / Sydney +15
7:45 AM – 8:00 AM
US Central Time
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
US Central Time
PANEL DISCUSSION
This interactive panel of top corporate legal chiefs and a chief ESG officer will address these points and welcome questions:
Moderator
Executive Director
Global Counsel Leaders
Panel
Chief ESG Officer and SVP
Tenneco
Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer & Corporate Secretary
AB-InBev
Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary
Equitable
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
US Central Time
CASE STUDY
Twenty-two cities across North America competed to serve as hosts for the 2026 World Cup. For the first time, FIFA considered human rights plans as part of the host city selection criteria.
Putting human rights center stage will be seen as a game-changing development for the 2026 World Cup.
This session will examine the collaboration between Clifford Chance and Centre for Sport and Human Rights addressing the the human rights strategies of cities of United 2026 FIFA World Cup bid.
Lawyer, Member Global ESG Board
Clifford Chance LLP
Karina Bashir
Associate
Clifford Chance
Natalie Hoehl
Associate
Clifford Chance
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
US Central Time
PANEL DISCUSSION
An International Perspectives on ESG
ESG issues and challenges are as diverse as the continents, countries, and jurisdictions in which they arise. This session will feature lawyers from around the globe, commenting on not only the unique ESG issues they face as advisors but also the ESG issues that are impacting their own geographic locations.
Moderator
Partner
Borden Ladner Gervais
Panel
Partner
Webber Wentzel
Partner - Global Head of ESG
Simmons & Simmons
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM
US Central Time
Converse, collaborate, and connect with contacts old and new, in our face to face virtual networking session.
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
US Central Time
Featuring a diverse range of professionals and firms representing differing backgrounds, sizes, geographic footprints, and client focus, this session will examine why a genuine focus on ESG is integral to the culture and values of a firm and how in turn, it will naturally be incorporated into the advice its clients receive.
Moderator
Head of Impact & ESG
Vicente Sederberg
Panel
Partner
Bates Wells
Partner
Davis Wright Tremaine
Senior D&I Manager
Farrer & Co
Attorney
Moye White
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
US Central Time
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
US Central Time
ROUNDTABLE
Event Closing Remarks / Q&A / Open ESG Discussion Forum
Event chair Pamela Cone will host an open discussion forum where our speaking faculty will join the stage for an unscripted ESG conversation.
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
US Central Time
Legal ESG Virtual Networking
Converse, collaborate, and connect with contacts old and new, in our face to face virtual networking session.
*Please note all times, speakers, and session themes are subject to change
REGISTRATION
Event Replay
Full on-demand access to all session recordings
$345
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