Videos

The Professional Duty of Lawyers and Bar Associations in Action on Climate

Date

September 23, 2024

Climate Change is already altering, and will continue to alter, the background conditions on which the practice of law is based, and the risks and opportunities of a wide range of activities in which clients engage. It is also leading to a variety of new public and private laws.

Many bar associations have responded with resolutions encouraging climate-competent lawyering and providing guidance to lawyers on how climate change affects their current professional responsibilities. The panel discusses a lawyer’s professional duty to be climate-competent in their day-to-day work, counseling their clients, and engaging in pro-bono activities. The panel also invites discussion on what more needs to be done.

Speakers:
Alasdair Cameron, Climate Change Policy Adviser, The Law Society of England and Wales
Georgina Beasley, CEO, Net Zero Lawyers Alliance
Camila Bustos, Co-founder, Law Students For Climate Accountability; Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
Amy Edwards, Holland & Knight, LLP
Hon. Marcy Kahn, Associate Justice, N.Y. Supreme Court Appellate Division (ret.)
Letícia Perrone Campos Mello, Brazilian Bar Association; Partner, Wald, Antunes, Vita, Longo e Blattner Advogados
Emily Morison, International Bar Association
Ivonne Norman, Chair, Environmental Justice and Environmental Rights Subcommittee, Environmental Law Committee, New York City Bar Association
Nina Pindham, Cornerstone Barristers
Irma Russell, Professor of Law, University of Missouri-Kansas City Law School

Moderator:
John Dernbach, Emeritus Professor, Widener University of Commonwealth Law School

Sponsoring Committee:
Environmental Law, Jullee Kim & John Rousakis, Co-Chairs

Cosponsoring Organizations:
American Bar Association
International Bar Association