ESG is ‘mission critical.’ Can Paul Weiss get law schools on board? – Reuters

ESG is ‘mission critical.’ Can Paul Weiss get law schools on board?  ReutersESG is ‘mission critical.’ Can Paul Weiss get law schools on board?  ReutersESG is ‘mission critical.’ Can Paul Weiss get law schools on board?  Reuters

Based on the text of the article, the above company and law firm names are generated automatically. As we continue to develop and test this feature in beta, we will continue to improve it. We are constantly improving this feature and welcome feedback. Paul Weiss will award two $25,000 scholarships annually to Berkeley students who participate in the new institute. This is in the hope that they will help build a group of young lawyers who are knowledgeable in all aspects of ESG law. The firm plans to expand and include more law schools in future. The Berkeley partnership is also reflective of Paul Weiss’ recent Bay Area expansion. In July 2020, the firm opened a Northern California office. It now has 17 lawyers. Institute director Dave Curran, who also co-chairs Paul Weiss’ ESG advisory practice said that the institute will address the “existential” and big picture questions surrounding ESG in ways that lawyers who advise clients on day to day matters can’t. Curran stated that the institute will bring academic rigor into the discussion around ESG. “We need to involve a wider community, including academics.” Amelia Miazad, faculty direct of Berkeley Law’s Business in Society Institute said that she sees the new partnership between Paul Weiss and Berkeley Law bridging the gap between theoretical discussions on ESG and the reality of what’s happening in companies. Current ESG research tends either to be very practical, such as corporate case studies, nor very theoretical, like law review articles. Curran noted that the field is rapidly changing. Paul Weiss’ dedicated ESG practice was launched in March 2020. Curran stated that ESG has been around for a long time. “The difference between the last two years has been lawyers recognising that companies making social or environmental obligations have to actually live up those commitments.” Paul Weiss and Brad Karp have been vocal about social and political issues like marriage equality, voter protection, and reproductive rights. Critics have also criticized the firm for its representation of fossil fuel clients. They claim that it is complicit in climate change. Both Curran and Miazad expressed hope that the new institute will encourage law schools to include more ESG training in their curriculum. Curran stated that ESG courses are not offered at all by law schools other than Berkeley Law. We need students to think about it. This is the fastest-growing specialty that no one knows of.” (Correction) This story has been updated in order to clarify that other firms had ESG practices last year when Paul Weiss launched his practice. Continue reading: We put these ESG lawyers through the testBig Law believes that the ESG trend will continue with new moves by Orrick and Seyfarth

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