Lawyering in the Anthropocene: Solicitors’ duties to advise on climate risk

Registrations close 4.00pm AEST on 31 August 2023

What does it mean to be a lawyer in the Anthropocene? What duties of care do solicitors owe to their clients when it comes to advising on the risks posed by a changing climate?  

Come along as we reflect on the development and future of the UK Law Society’s Climate Change Guidance and take stock of where we currently stand in Australia when it comes to solicitors’ duties to advise on climate risk. Following the presentation, we will invite questions from our audience members joining in person and online.

We will also be formally launching our new NELA Climate Change Working Group on the night – join us to find out more about our talented working group members, our vision for the group, and the group’s exciting first project.

We warmly invite you to a night of lively conversation about the challenges and opportunities that come with lawyering in the age of climate change, followed by networking and drinks.

5:30pm Registrations open

6:00pm – 7:30pm Presentations and Q&A

7:30pm – 8:30pm Networking and drinks

More about the speakers

Caroline May is Head of the Environment team at Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) in London. She has over 35 year’s experience as a practising environmental lawyer. She is NRF’s first Sustainability Partner and co-Head of the NRF ESG group for EMEA. She is recognised as a Tier 1 individual in Chambers Legal Directory and is listed in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame and the Guide to the World’s leading environmental lawyers.

Caroline is Chair of the Law Society of England and Wales Climate Change Working Group which produced what is believed to be the first professional services guidance from a professional body responding to the climate crisis anywhere in the world. As such the guidance has attracted a lot of interest from other professional bodies e.g. the Bar Council, the IBA, and other Law Societies around the world. Caroline will be presenting the guidance at COP 28 in Dubai later this year.

Caroline is also Co-Chair of the Legal Sustainability Alliance an alliance of over 120 of the leading law firms in the UK sharing best practice and she is a Director of leading Sustainability NGO the Aldersgate Group currently chaired by former Prime Minister Theresa May MP. She is Freeman of the City of London.

Elizabeth Wild is Head of NRF’s Australian Environmental & Planning practice. With over 30 years’ experience and a particular expertise managing issues relating to contaminated land and remediation law, Liz advises on all legal and strategic aspects associated with contaminated land including disputes regarding all forms of contamination, strategies for the investigation, remediation and marketing of contaminated land and obtaining planning and environmental approvals for the remediation and development of contaminated land, and has been involved in many of the landmark cases in this area.

Liz is also a member of NRF’s ESG practice.

Liz is ranked in Chambers & Partners APAC 2023 and recognised as a Leading Individual in Environment & Planning Law by The Legal 500 APAC 2023. She has also been named Preeminent Lawyer in Environment & Climate Change in NSW by the Doyle’s Guide 2022. Liz sits on the board of the NSW Environment Protection Authority.

Grace Huang is a Director at NELA, where she convenes the Memberships, Partnerships, and Personnel Portfolio. Outside of NELA, Grace is a solicitor practicing in the Safe Climate (Coal and Human Rights) team at the Environmental Defenders Office, where she advises environmental and community groups in relation to strategic legal interventions to protect the people and places we cherish. Grace has also worked with a range of organisations in the non-profit, government, and private sectors, including the Australian Law Reform Commission, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, and Herbert Smith Freehills.

Generously hosted by our Supporting Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright.

Contact partnerships@nela.org.au for all event inquiries.