Risk, Resilience, and Reward: What Awaits at Legal ESG London

May 29, 2025

AUTHOR Legal ESG

ESG has outgrown checklist compliance; it is now a strategic discipline that spans client advisory, operations, and talent. At the same time ESG sits at a pivotal juncture where accelerating regulation is colliding with mounting political and market headwinds.


Legal ESG: London (8–9 July 2025) and the co-located Legal ESG Awards distil that breadth into two high-impact days devoted to resolving today’s hardest ESG problems, and an evening that recognizes the firms and individuals setting new standards.


Together they offer a unique blend of practical insight, peer benchmarking, and public recognition - exactly what in-house counsel, law-firm ESG leaders, and allied professionals need to navigate 2025’s regulatory and geopolitical turbulence and transform ESG from compliance burden into strategic value driver.

Inside the Conference: 8th & 9th July


  • Strategic advisory (Day 1). Unpacking the geopolitical implications of “Trump 2.0”, ESG clauses in cross-border M&A, climate-catastrophe liability, and the EU Omnibus Directive
  • Operational integration (Day 2). Sessions pivot inward: Scope 3 emissions engagement, supplier due-diligence standards, net-zero road-mapping, DEI communications, and legal-wellbeing metrics.


Our Key Notes:


  • Trump 2.0 and its Global Implications: Veteran human-rights advocate and responsible-investment pioneer Bennett Freeman will open Day 1 by mapping how a second Trump administration could recast the geopolitical, regulatory, and ethical terrain for global business and the legal profession.
  • ESG Engagement: Day 2 begins with Gihan Hyde, award-winning founder of B-Corp communications consultancy CommUnique, who will distil what authentic stakeholder engagement looks like when Scope 3 emissions, supply-chain ethics, and workforce inclusion all vie for boardroom attention.
  • Preview the full agenda


Spotlight on the Legal ESG Awards


The Legal ESG Awards UK 2025 anchor the opening evening of Legal ESG: London on 8th July 2025, transforming technical debate into public accountability.


The awards will recognise excellence across seven pillars—client service, internal operations, ESG initiatives, employee engagement, in-house programs, law-firm/client collaboration, and two overall distinctions: Lifetime Achievement and the Paul Watchman Young Lawyer of the Year award.


Finalists Announced


Practical Notes:


  • Early-bird pricing ends 30 May
  • The full list of Awards finalists


Bottom line:

ESG must move from principled ambition to measurable performance. Legal ESG: London and the Legal ESG Awards UK provide the knowledge, network, and recognition to lead that transition.


Join us in London and join the discussion.


Legal ESG Awards 2025 Recipients Announced | Celebrating Leadership in Sustainable Business
By Inside Practice July 8, 2025
The Legal ESG Awards 2025, honours legal professionals driving sustainable, ethical, and responsible business practices.
Anne-Marie Goodbody: Lawyer Burnout & Legal Wellbeing
By Inside Practice July 3, 2025
25-year legal veteran Anne-Marie Goodbody shares energy-first tactics to prevent lawyer burnout—meet her at Legal Wellbeing London, 11 Sept 2025.
wellbeing in law, mental health for law firms and legal professionals
By Inside Practice June 25, 2025
Elizabeth highlights key changes, the need for proactive mental health strategies, and how empathetic leadership fosters healthier law firm cultures.
Building Sustainable Mental Health in Law Firms | Wellbeing
By Inside Practice June 10, 2025
In this episode we sit down with Sam Jardine, Partner at Fieldfisher and a passionate advocate for mental health in the legal profession. Sam shares honest reflections on his 25-year journey in law, the importance of cultural change in firms, and why real well-being goes far beyond fruit baskets and ping pong tables. As a key speaker at the upcoming Legal Wellbeing: London event September 11, Sam offers a preview of the conversations shaping the future of legal workplaces—covering topics like generational change, flexibility, leadership, and how lawyers can redefine success on their own terms.