Legal Services and Climate Change Paper
This is an information paper prepared by the IBA’s Bar Issues Commission’s International Trade in Legal Services Committee for member bars of the IBA, to alert them to the impact of climate change on issues affecting the regulation and practice of lawyers. Climate change is considered by many as one of the biggest threats facing the future of life on our planet, and its impact is beginning to be felt everywhere, including on bars and lawyers. This paper is a committee product for information purposes and therefore has not been adopted by the IBA.
This paper draws attention to some of the areas where climate change affects the cross-border operation of legal services, and in doing so impacts on general domestic regulatory structures for lawyers. Although it has been prepared by a committee with a mandate for cross-border legal services, it is believed that the issues raised are horizontal and of interest and future concern to all lawyers and their regulators.