Global Sustainability Challenges in the Legal World
Global sustainability challenges derive from a normative framework that integrates economic development, social well-being and environmental protection (1). Three key global sustainability challenges to the legal industry include:
1. Human Capital;
2. Environmental Sustainability; and
3. Entrenched Cultural Issues.
Indisputably, the biggest asset to a law firm is its human capital. Accordingly, fostering a diverse, inclusive, and safe workplace where investing in their education and training is prioritised may assist a firm to retain its talents.
However, all too often, law firms consider its talents to be a subset of commerce and merely a business tool, with 25% of women lawyers contemplating leaving the profession (2), a consistent culture of overwork and stress has led to physical and mental health issues which in turn has caused many to leave a practice increasingly considered unsustainable (3).
The legal industry’s greatest challenge is its unsustainable environmental practices, ranging from paper-intensive processes to cross border work necessitating air travel. The Campaign for Greener Arbitrations projected that nearly 20,000 trees are required to neutralise carbon emissions following a large-scale arbitration (4). This is a “number equivalent to four times the number of trees in Hyde Park or all the trees in Central Park” (5).
This indicates that there is no room for complacency or a “business as usual” attitude. Sustainability measures and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors must be taken into consideration and embraced. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation in the legal industry, but there is still a vast majority of law firms falling behind in the digital transformation of the legal industry (6).
Finally, an entrenched culture has further emphasised the aforementioned issues and limited possible change. From senior lawyers continuing to prefer paper conveyancing over new digital options, to a refusal to encourage or adopt digital working.
Notwithstanding, lawyers with a lack of appreciation of, or refusal to adopt, sustainable operating procedures, may give rise to law firms’ revenue loss as they fail to meet the expectations of various stakeholders and operate at pace on relevance.
Lastly, Charissa, Chee Chien and I would like to invite you to consider and adopt these baby steps to tackle global sustainability challenges in the legal world:
Special credits to Charissa Wong, who has been extremely supportive of my green journey since the beginning of her pupillage + my study buddy. Thank you.
(1)???John C. Dernbach & Federico Cheever, Sustainable Development and Its Discontents, 4 TRANSNAT'L ENVTL. L. 247, 256-61 (2015).
(2)???Hassan Kanu, “'It's exhausting': Why women want out of the legal profession”, <https://www.reuters.com/business/legal/its-exhausting-why-women-want-out-legal-profession-2021-05-17/> dated 19 May 2021.
(3)???Kate Beioley, “Professional services face losing junior staff to burnout”, <https://www.ft.com/content/f037991e-4481-4641-8186-0862f1f07c97> dated 22 March 2021.
(4)???The Campaign for Greener Arbitrations, “Environmental Impact” <https://www.greenerarbitrations.com/impact>.
(5)???Lucy Greenwood, Kabir A.N. Duggal, “The Green Pledge: No Talk, More Action”, <https://arbitrationblog.kluwerarbitration.com/2020/03/20/the-green-pledge-no-talk-more-action/> dated 20 March 2020.
(6)???“The State of the Legal Market in the U.K.” published by Acritas and Peer Monitor, 2020 Thomson Reuters.