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The majority of lawyers think law firms should be legally required to improve their environmental sustainability, according to a poll of leading legal advisers that demonstrates how seriously the industry is taking the issue.

When asked how obligatory measures such as cutting carbon emissions and reducing plastic should be for law firms, more than 60% of 90 lawyers surveyed in the latest Big Question survey by Law.com's U.K. division Legal Week, said the issue should be made law. Those respondents said the situation is "an incredibly important issue for all businesses".

A further 34% of lawyers canvassed believed firms should "commit" to taking sustainability measures.

One anonymous respondent also called for a requirement for firms to "publicly publish its commitment to carbon reduction and sustainable workplace practices."

Only 5% of respondents said either that firms should not face any pressure to make changes or that firms have more important things to focus on.

"We cannot continue to make a living flying around the world at the cost of its poorest citizens."

One lawyer who took part in the survey commented: "City lawyers are squarely within the 1% of the world's population that consumes a disproportionate share of its resources. We cannot continue to make a living flying around the world at the cost of its poorest citizens. Law firms should contribute whatever is needed to be at least carbon neutral."

Meanwhile two thirds of survey respondents stated they believe the topic is important to their clients, which is likely to pile pressure on law firms to show they are adapting.

Almost one in five participants said their clients have told them they bear it in mind when choosing which firms they use, while about half said they had been asked by clients how their firm was combatting the issue.

Fiona Nicholls, head of environment and assurance at Gowling WLG, said she has seen a significant uptick in client interest in the last couple of years, particularly in the property, retail and public sectors.

According to her, clients are asking "more sophisticated questions" about what firms are doing – and one of her firm's clients requested an independent audit of how Gowling tackles the issue.

She added: "Environmental stewardship is everyone's and every business's responsibility. Doing nothing or even a small amount is not an option. The challenge is enormous and we must all rise to it."

The overwhelming majority of respondents agreed they had noticed their firms making efforts to reduce its use of paper and single-use plastic, while two-thirds of respondents said they had noticed their firms had introduced more meat-free dining options.

Other measures listed by lawyers as having been introduced by their firms included introducing 'green' committees, switching electric providers, clearer and better use of recycling and turning off escalators, lights and air conditioning overnight.

Several law firm leaders also recently told Law.com's UK arm Legal Week that sustainability is high on their current agenda, with many having formalised their efforts. In late 2019, international law firm Ashurst appointed its first global sustainability partner and is also introducing sustainability advocates across its global offices.

Meanwhile also in 2019, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer appointed its first global partner for client sustainability and Dentons launched a Warsaw-based sustainable investment practice group.

Tim Wilkins, head of client sustainability at Freshfields said: "There's a huge interest from our clients as part of their core strategic approach on issues of climate change, human rights, sustainable finance and corporate governance. There's no uniform disclosure process yet, though Blackrock is an example of a company making great leads in this area."

In January, BlackRock, the world's largest fund manager, unveiled changes to support sustainable investing, including doubling the number of sustainability-focused exchange traded funds it offers.

Wilkins added that firms need to see sustainability as a "global issue" and bring together its full resources to meet the challenge. He said: "In the past, firms may have focused on it by having one expert in one area – human rights or environmental law, for example, and that person could often end up siloed. Now, firms are having broader conversations in the board room and c-suite."