The Legal 500 Green Guide: EMEA

Partners at full-service Austrian firm Binder Grösswang seek to act ahead of client demand in the provision of green legal services to their international client base.

A full-service Austrian firm, PHH Rechtsanwälte actively promotes ESG through its advice to clients, internal commitments, and advocating for sustainability in the marketplace.

A full-service Belgian law firm, Astrea takes a multidisciplinary approach to its environmental work, involving all its departments to provide a more holistic service to its clients.

Full-service firm Eurolex has been at the forefront of strategizing and legislation drafting for public law projects pertaining to sustainable development and environmental protection in Bulgaria.

Full-service Croatian law firm Vukmir & Associates has a long-standing commitment to environmental work.

Danish real estate boutique Sustainable Law Advokatfirma was founded in March 2021 in order to establish a more sustainable way of delivering legal services to the real estate market, taking into consideration the UN Goals of Sustainability.

A full-service Finnish firm, HPP integrates ESG into its legal activities across its practices with designated associates reporting on ESG issues to the wider team.

Seattle Avocats in Paris is at the forefront of criminal and civil aspects of environmental law as experts in the legal elaboration of environmental standards, reparation for ecological harm and corporate accountability.

Full-service Georgian law firm BGI Legal’s commitment to environmental issues can be felt across the firm as it seeks to integrate its green work across all practices and engage all staff.

At German full-service firm Arnecke Sibeth Dabelstein, Margarete von Oppen is one of Germany’s leading advisors to the photovoltaics industry with a track record that spans almost two decades.

BMH BRÄUTIGAM in Berlin, a firm specialised in advising entrepreneurs, founders and investors, launched an internal Project Climate in 2019, and has since reduced its carbon footprint by more than a third.

Driven both by client demand and internal conviction, IP boutique Grünecker is one of first firms in Germany to have pursued a TÜV Süd certification as climate neutral.

Hengeler Mueller is one of the first larger German firms to have established an ESG practice group while simultaneously working towards internal carbon footprint reduction and sustainability goals via a committee for sustainability which includes partners and other staff

Luther Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft draws on its strong environmental and energy law practices to assist companies with their green transition.

Compliance boutique Pohlmann & Company significantly strengthened its environmental law compliance, climate protection and CO2 emissions trading law expertise with the arrival of longstanding expert Uwe M Erling from Noerr in January 2020.

German boutique Von Bredow Valentin Herz exclusively provides advice in the renewable energy space with a clear commitment to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and advance the energy transition in all sectors.

POTAMITISVEKRIS’ sustainability-linked activities broadly revolve around its work in sustainable finance, innovative renewable energy projects and green procurement, as well as various internal initiatives to reduce the firm’s own environmental impact.

Full-service Irish firm McCann Fitzgerald is highly regarded for its sustainable finance work.

An internationally focused Dutch full-service law firm, Houthoff brings a holistic approach to its ESG efforts both internally and for its clients in its recent efforts to shift towards a greener practice.

Full-service, Benelux-based firm NautaDutilh established a more formalised Sustainable Business & Climate Change team spearheaded by energy expert Ham Kerstholt in 2020, focusing on the incorporation of sustainability through both soft and hard law.

1.5 is a new, independent Norwegian boutique established at the start of 2021 and developed with ESG at its core, from entirely paperless day-to-day operations to its work for clients it deems genuinely sustainable and who contribute to the broader environmental movement.

Norwegian-based full-service firm Advokatfirmaet Schjødt AS has a decade-long commitment to ESG and sustainability which is strongly driven by its head of financial regulatory and sustainable law practices Andreas Lowzow.

As a full-service law firm in Norway, Arntzen de Besche established an ESG team which focuses on ESG and sustainability developments within its various practice groups, while it also aims to be driving force in the green shift via internal measures and initiatives.

The energy practice, at leading Norwegian commercial law firm BAHR is involved in several major carbon capture developments including advising on Fortum Oslo Varm’s carbon capture and storage project.

Oslo-based dispute resolution boutique firm Glittertind has a multifaceted climate strategy overseen by lawyer Dagny Ås Hovind.

Haavind’s market leading renewable energy practice boasts a longstanding track record in this space and is at the forefront of ushering in the green energy transition in Norway

Since receiving its Eco-Lighthouse Certification in 2013, Selmer has spent several years critically analysing all aspects of its practice, recently joined the UN Global Compact and has become an active ESG advocate in Norway.

Norwegian full-service firm Simonsen Vogt Wiig has integrated ESG and CSR into its overall business strategy and stands out in particular for its expertise in renewable energy, related infrastructure and technology, as well as ESG compliance.

Norwegian full-service firm Thommessen’s sustainability and climate risk practice, established in 2018, is led by Tore Mydske who is also head of the firm’s financial services group.

Poland-based renewable energy boutique TTW Legal is a market leader in advising investors, developers, government and local SMEs on all stages of the transition to green energy in a fast-moving regulatory environment.

Leading Portuguese firm and UN-Compact-signatory Vieira de Almeida has a multidisciplinary ESG practice focused on helping clients navigate the regulatory complexities associated with achieving the 2030 agenda and UN’s SDGs.

A Serbian multi-service law firm, Doklestic Repic & Gajin is committed to the green transition with a growing work portfolio in connection with green energy and renewable projects in the country.

ECIJA has acted as counsel on major environmental matters to several regional governments in Spain, giving an insight into how central ESG is to the firm’s work.

Spanish-origin, multi-national firm Garrigues demonstrated an early commitment to ESG having signed the UN Global Compact in 2002 and drawing up its annual carbon emissions since 2004.

Spanish full service firm Gómez-Acebo & Pombo recently launched a sustainable development group both in order to advance the firm’s internal best practices and carbon footprint reduction measures.

Swiss dispute resolution firm LALIVE has developed expertise in business and human rights issues regarding natural resources and seeks to advise companies and other organisations on responsible practices, including ESG developments.

Full-service Turkish law firm Egemenoglu is highly knowledgeable in environmental law and legislation and follows the notion of creating sustainable value both internally and externally in its practice.