A fireside chat with Clara Douglas and Joshua Domb

A fireside chat with Clara Douglas

(Law Students for Climate Accountability)

and Joshua Domb

(Founder, Gen-R Law)

Josh: For those who are unfamiliar with LSCA, why don’t you start by telling us a bit about that organisation?

Clara: LSCA was founded in 2020 and emerged from a wave of protests against the firm Paul Weiss for their representation of Exxon. We originated in the US and have since expanded into the UK and other jurisdictions across the world. Our organisation annually publishes a Report and Scorecard analysing the fossil fuel transactional work of the Vault 100 firms. Additionally, we offer a pledge for students and firms to commit to not working for the fossil fuel industry.

Josh: How did you come across LSCA and where did your interest in climate issues come from?

Clara: Like many young people, I don’t think there was a defining moment when I became interested in the climate crisis, as it has been a reality for my whole life. As a child, I was particularly focused on natural disasters impacting the Caribbean island where my grandfather was from, as well as animal rights.

I often say I got involved with LSCA by accident. While serving as the partnerships officer for my university’s human rights society, I received an unusual request typically directed at the main Law Society. After discussing this with LSCA, I learned they had approached the main Law Society, but it had declined to support the project, fearing it would negatively impact sponsorships from certain firms.

This revelation deepened my commitment to the project. It highlighted how dependent students felt to these firms, to the extent that they avoided discussing the major role these firms play in the climate crisis. What about you?

Josh: Climate was an interest that grew slowly for me. It started about five years ago. As I began to educate myself I became increasingly interested, and ultimately deeply concerned, about the impact that we are having on the planet, and the effect that impact was having, in turn, on every species that calls our little planet home. I ultimately found myself dealing with a full-blown case of climate

anxiety. I was in my early thirties, lying awake at night unable to sleep, panicking about what the future might look like.

Clara: How did that ultimately lead you to forming Gen-R Law?

Josh: Also by accident! By background I am a White Collar Crime Lawyer. I wanted to learn how to use my legal skills to focus on doing work with a positive impact in the climate change space and went looking for a firm that was leading on these issues, on a crosspractice basis, in a genuinely mission-driven way. I assumed there had to be at least one firm in a legal market as mature as the UK which had picked up the mantle!

Whilst I found lots of individuals, and occasionally a team, that was working on some aspect of this challenge, they were all based in firms I already knew well enough. Whilst they were all great firms, I immediately knew none of these places could offer me the environment I was seeking.

Clara: I also hear this frustration from many law students who are personally invested in climate but struggle to find a firm that aligns with their values. What do you mean by mission-driven in the context of a law firm?

Josh: As a starting point, Gen-R Law’s mission statement is: "To contribute to the work against climate change and the global mission to achieve net-zero by building a leading, full-service law firm, with specialist climate change, environment and green-tech expertise embedded throughout every practice area."

The firm has a number of USPs including:

• a commitment that 10% of profits will be donated to climate change-focused charities;

• tailored services for the green-tech start-up community, underpinned by a commitment that 10% of profits will be invested in these businesses;

• a commitment to doing pro-bono work to help develop rewilding and conservation initiatives, along with other charities

working in this space;

• a specific focus on empowering young people to be part of the work against climate change; and

• a specific focus on incorporating lessons and wisdom from indigenous peoples into the way that the firm is run and the advice given to clients.

We have also published a client onboarding policy on our website, making clear what kinds of work we will and will not do, and in what circumstances. At its heart, the objective is to ensure that we are only doing planet-positive work, for organisations that share our planet-positive values. The proposition has landed very well with clients who are increasingly focusing on these issues. I have also received dozens of messages from lawyers - and law students - all over the world, who are really excited to see a firm like this emerging. There is a huge demand in the legal community for work with impact and purpose, particularly in the climate space. I certainly won’t struggle to recruit!

Clara: It's encouraging to hear that you are emphasizing the importance of integrating climate considerations into all areas of legal practice. Unfortunately, many universities do not offer environmental law courses or recommend climate-framed readings for other legal areas that are increasingly being utilised to address climate issues.

Your client onboarding process is intriguing. With recent Law Society guidance allowing lawyers to refuse clients on climate change grounds and more lawyers engaging in emissions discussions, it is becoming easier for climate conscious lawyers to align their work with their values. Moreover, ongoing greenwashing litigation and investigations into oil company practices suggest a future where rejecting fossil fuel work could become as common as some firms already refusing to work with the tobacco industry.

Josh: Given all of this, what is your key takeaway for lawyers and law firms?

Clara: Firstly, that a legal education and career are privileges that come with a great deal of power. Secondly, the notion that lawyers are either passive or active is misleading; in reality, all lawyers play an active and influential role through their work. LSCA would encourage firms to have internal discussions that recognise that a firm's sustainability is defined in part by their client matters.

Furthermore, that addressing the climate crisis will become increasingly important in attracting and retaining talent. Your journey exemplifies this, and with surveys indicating that 74% of adults are very or somewhat worried about climate change, it’s clear that this concern will influence many professional decisions (ONS—https:// www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/ worriesaboutclimatechangegreatbritain/septembertooctober2022).

What about you?

Josh: As a profession, we need to understand that climate considerations are at least potentially relevant to 99% of instructions, regardless of which practice area they fall under. The unfortunate reality is that, right now, 99% of lawyers are not climate literate, and in that delta is a real risk that we will miss material issues, and commercial opportunities when advising our clients.

I think we have a serious education piece to do across and at all levels of the profession, and I have been pleased to meet many people over the last few months who are picking up this baton within their firms.

Given the nature and gravity of the climate crisis, the time for lawyers to position themselves as impartial advisors has long since passed. We have an unparalleled ability to influence our clients to focus on these issues and help them navigate the challenging road ahead. We also have a responsibility to future generations to rise to this moment in history. If we fail to act in a sufficiently meaningful way in the next few years, the science is very clear that it will be too late for those who come after us to make a material difference.

Clara: I agree, Law schools, students and firms need to recognise the impact that climate change will have on the industry and in turn the impact that they have on the climate 

Joshua Domb

(Founder, Gen-R Law)

Clara Douglas

(Law Students for Climate Accountability)