header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us
18 February 2022 / Clare Hughes-Williams , Sarah Crowther KC
Issue: 7967 / Categories: Opinion , ESG , Environment , Governance
printer mail-detail

ESG—friend or foe?

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
Environmental, social & governance: Clare Hughes‑Williams & Sarah Crowther on why law firms should keep all three top of the agenda if they want to keep the lights on in the long term

ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) has become a hot topic for businesses across the globe and has seen a meteoric rise in the attention that it receives from business leaders. Law firms are no exception, and there are numerous reasons why they too are (or should be) paying ever closer attention to their ESG credentials.

Although its rise to prominence is a recent phenomenon, ESG and its component parts are not new. ESG emerged as a concept in 2006 when the then secretary-general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, launched the Principles for Responsible Investors. Those principles were developed with the co-operation of institutional investors and formed the bedrock of ethical investment. This is what we now call ESG.

ESG remained an investment concept until fairly recently. Social inflation has played a prominent role in its

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
Read All
NLJ this week: Tightening the screws on JCT terminations
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
NLJ this week: Old rules, fresh warnings in employment law
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
NLJ this week: The rise of the ‘ChatGPT client’ rattles the profession
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
NLJ this week: Surrogacy children caught in succession gap
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
NLJ this week: Online safety law at a crossroads
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll