The Sustainable Law Podcast

Six months on from the landmark ruling by International Court of Justice which declared climate change “an urgent and existential threat” has anything changed for lawyers, law makers and businesses?   Has this opinion influenced corporate legal practice or shaped decision-making for firms or their clients?  What are the due diligence obligations businesses need to know about, and if the...

Ocean with David Attenborough ( 2025) was a powerful and unflinching wakeup call exploring the vital importance of Earth’s oceans and the growing threats they face, featuring shocking footage revealing the devastation caused by bottom trawling.   For this podcast, Amanda Carpenter spoke to Olly Scholey, Field Producer on &n...

In this episode, Sophia Adams Bhatti is joined by  Bhargav Srinivasa Desikan  for a deep dive into the carbon cost of AI—from the energy demands of large models to the hidden environmental impacts of everyday digital tools. Bhargav unpacks the origins of AI, what organisations can do to reduce their digital footprint, the innovations and policy that could make AI more sustainable and wha...

For this special episode Amanda Carpenter returns to the studio to talk to Wangui Kaniaru, Partner at ALN, Kenya. Early on in her career, Wangui was told that rather than justice, law is about trade-offs, incentives and outcomes. Realising that this is a mischaracterisation of the role law can play, Wangui put her head above the parapet to ask questions about climate justi...

We spoke to Debra Sobel, Co-Founder of The Purpose Hub, to take a deep dive into ‘purpose’ and its evolving role in a responsible business. What is purpose in a corporate environment? Why is purpose relevant today? How do we articulate purpose to drive responsible growth and profitability, impact and behaviour change? Including advice on how to be purposeful, how to avoid greenwashing and how...

AI, climate change, geopolitics, the rule of law – the landscape of lawyering is changing. Amanda Carpenter and Sophia Adams Bhatti, public policy expert with over 20 years’ experience working across law, financial services, tech, consumer affairs, healthcare, and immigration and asylum, explore the ‘elephants on the horizon’ for law firms and how individuals can have an impact. Also in this episo...

What does the future hold for law firms? How can legal professionals navigate the rapidly evolving world of ESG? We talked to the outgoing and incoming co-chairs of the Legal Sustainability Alliance, the biggest sustainability network in the UK’s legal sector about the network and the evolving landscape in which it operates. From pushback on ESG to developing client expectations, mitigating climat...

In this episode of the Sustainable Law Podcast we unpack the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and its implications for law firms. As the EU's ambitious ESG reporting framework reshapes compliance landscapes, we explore how law firms can support clients in navigating these changes and address the needs of their own practices. Join us for expert insights, practical advice and stra...

TCFD offers a multi-layered framework of climate-related disclosures - governance, strategy, risk management, metrics and targets. How do you start? Why start now if it is not mandatory for your firm? What benefits might the process bring? We talked to Independent Consultant Stephen Farrant and Becky Clissmann, an Environmental Lawyer who specialises in ESG and transition to net zero at Ashur...

 In this series the Sustainable Law Podcast explores the frameworks and reporting systems that law firms will be considering on their journey to net zero. This episode explores the nuts and bolts of ISO certification; the internationally agreed standards that set out the requirements for an environmental management system. What are ISO14001 and ISO50001? How and when do you make a start?...

Leading UK and international law firms continue to earn millions from fossil fuel related transactions. Meanwhile law students are calling for action– will the student spotlight cause firms to think again or is it hopelessly naive to think anything will change? Do firms care? Episode 3 of the Sustainable Law Podcast explores the tricky issue of law firms who work...

Banks that ‘care about the climate’ but finance fossil fuel, fashion houses and supermarkets who shout about sustainability while the food and plastic waste piles up. Are we drowning in a tidal wave of greenwashing and does it matter? We talked to two experts to help us navigate the murky waters of greenwashing. Tom Parsons is Director of Sales and Origination at Good Energy and George Hardin...

The first episode of the Sustainable Law Podcast explores what it is like to be facing twinned climate and nature crises as a young corporate lawyer. What did it feel like to be a young professional at COP28? Was it a game changer? Or a fudge hijacked by fossil fuels? COP28 attracted over 97,000 people, including nearly 2,500 fossil-fuel lobbyists who out-numbered nearly all individual c...