The Sustainable Markets Initiative’s General Counsel Office and Legal Charter 1.5 have launched Sustainability Training for Legal Professionals, a new, free-to-access programme for legal professionals across industry and all areas of private practice. The programme was developed with support from Mishcon de Reya and other participating firms.
As climate change, nature loss and related systemic risks become increasingly foreseeable and material, expectations are growing that lawyers can identify and address those relevant to the matters before them. The training aims to build the core knowledge and capabilities needed to advise clients in this changing environment.
Developed by legal professionals for legal professionals and delivered by expert practitioners, the programme’s modular structure allows learners to engage with the content at their own pace.
The initial programme comprises seven foundational modules covering:
- the scale and urgency of the climate and nature crisis;
- the implications for clients’ operating environments and key developments in law and regulation; and
- the relevance of systemic risks to lawyers’ professional duties and everyday decisions on contracts, disputes and transactions.
The modules are designed to help learners identify material impacts, risks and opportunities, understand how these intersect with evolving legal risks and duties, and recognise when matters may benefit from specialist input.
Alongside the core course, a selection of deep-dive modules explores how legal risks and opportunities arise in specific sectors and contexts. These initially focus on energy transition and real estate and the built environment, with more topics to be added over time.
As a founding member of both the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s General Counsel Office and Legal Charter 1.5, Mishcon de Reya has played a leading role in developing the initial programme and contributed directly to two of its seven foundational modules.
The firm’s involvement reflects its belief that exceptional legal advice combines technical expertise with an understanding of the wider forces shaping clients’ businesses.