Interview with: Merete Larsen, Partner, Founder

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Sustainable Law from your competitors?

I founded Sustainable Law 2021 on the principles of the Triple Bottom Line (People, Profit, Planet). The surrounding society and the clients have made major progress on the ESG agenda, but the legal sector has not focused on these issues at all. In Sustainable Law we show that all aspects of sustainability can be implemented within the legal practices as well – still focusing on highest level of legal advice within the field of large Real Estate deals and project development, advising the large stock exchange listed companies that themselves are driven by the same agendas. Since formation in early 2021 we have shown that we can provide even more value than before for the clients with the implementation of total digitalization (no paper), flexibility, diversity and more.

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

We expect that the strong focus on sustainable behavior will make even more of the client’s focused on sustainability in all parts of their own supply chain, including their legal advice. We expect many of our clients to be even more focused on creating certified buildings in order to add value not only economically but also climate wise. The EU regulations and expected coming restrictions in all parts of society asks for legal advice not only focusing on the regulations of today but also those foreseen for tomorrow.

What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

Being a core principle of Sustainable Law, our flat organizational structure adds value to clients. Our entire team is a part of client management and servicing, so all aspects of our legal and strategic advice is a result of teamwork and collaboration. Implementing this structure was amongst my highest priorities when creating Sustainable Law, not only to add value to clients, but also to create a work environment where diversity, equality and exposure to all aspects of our legal services is fundamental and contributes to the overall growth in capabilities within our team and at our clients’ teams thus truly understanding the needs of our clients.

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

Absolutely, yes – being a digital and 100% paperless legal office, we work with optimized digital case files which results in time efficiency in our work processes. As legal advisors in many million and billion DKK transactions, we provide data rooms and data management solutions, which adds to the overall value that we can provide to our clients. The Real Estate sector is being subjected to renewed and more restrictive regulations on CO2 emissions in construction, and technology providing data on emissions will have a major part to play in reporting. Therefore, we pride ourselves to be first movers within the relevant technologies in order to provide full-service advice to our clients.

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

Our approach to the planning process and the structuring thereof have avoided a stop in permits and thus preventing the prolongation of the building process with more than a year (saving millions of DDK). Another example is through analysis giving advices that resulted in adding 5,000 sqm to another building resulting a current raise to the value of many millions DKK. Final example is the structuring of the development of a city district in Copenhagen in a way where the leases and legal structure is so strong that even in these years of recession, several transactions are taking place for more than billions of DKK in a market that otherwise is on pause.

Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

Our clients rely on us not only for product-oriented legal services, but also for strategic direction and advice. We are often onboarded early into project developments to devise strategy, both legal and otherwise, at top-level. Being a part of conceptualization, development, sale and delivery of multiple thousands of residential units over the last years while also counselling our clients on many real estate transactions, we aim to continually provide the highest level full-service legal advice and strategic development for our clients. While a decrease in the amount of residential units transacting over the coming years is to be expected, we expect to be a part of an increased amount of larger real estate transactions and overall project development.