Championing sustainability in changing times: how can law firms adapt and thrive?

As of September 2023, Partner at MME, a leading Swiss law firm, Co-Leader ESG practice, putting my unique background to work for clients. Driven by the belief that law firms and in-house corporate counsels are key players in the modern value chain, with a unique position to support the move towards a sustainable future, I left the corporate world after 20 years as in-house counsel, General Counsel and Company Secretary of Zurich Insurance Group, to co-found impactvise AG. Just when the global pandemic started in 2020, I originated the Legal Solidarity Invitives, organizing law firms in Switzerland and globally to offer free legal advise for individuals and SMEs impacted by the pandemic. Based on this experience and the impacted created, I changed my career from a trusted counselor to senior management and the board members to a founder of a start-up company.

When it comes to Environmental, Social, and Governance programs for professional service firms, there is no one with greater insight and deeper experience than Pam Cone. Given her entire career in professional services firms, and her graduate education, experience and passion for ESG, she is uniquely qualified to advise and counsel firms to move their efforts from "transactional" toward achieving greater "transformational" outcomes.

Ulysses Smith is Debevoise & Plimpton’s ESG Senior Adviser. He is a leading lawyer and thought leader on ESG, working at the intersection of sustainability, governance, rule of law, anti-corruption, and human rights. His experience includes advising major multinationals, not-for-profit organizations, governments and multilateral institutions on a range of sustainability and governance issues. He has devised tailored inclusive models of governance and sustainability, addressing a range of ESG factors and risks, including environmental sustainability, human rights and labor issues, corruption, and sanctions. He is a UN Global Compact Sustainable Development Goals Pioneer for work advancing good governance, human rights, and the rule of law, and is a member of the UN Global Compact’s Expert Network, focused on sustainability and governance. He has held leadership positions in bar associations including the New York City Bar Association, where he chaired the United Nations Committee, as well as the Task Force on Good Governance in the Secretary-General Selection, and is a frequent speaker and commentator on ESG, law, policy, and related developments.

Sarah-Jane is a Director in the Operational Risk & Environment Group of Travers Smith, London, and a member of the firm’s ESG and Impact Committee. Sarah-Jane has many years of experience advising on a broad range of environmental topics both in support of transactions and in an advisory context. In recent years, she has particularly focused on advising both financial sector firms and corporates on UK and EU ESG regulation, having particular expertise in climate and sustainability reporting regimes and their impacts on UK and international businesses. Her practice extends to corporate governance, human rights, supply chain risk and related social issues under the ESG umbrella. Sarah-Jane also has expertise in the more traditional environmental sphere including permitting, circular economy, health & safety and product regulation. She has also worked extensively on energy and infrastructure matters, for both renewable and innovative energy solutions providers and traditional, highly regulated utilities. Sarah-Jane is a regular writer and speaker on ESG topics and co-author of ICLG’s UK ESG Law chapter, 2024 and 2025. She is a member of Invest Europe’s taskforces on CSRD and CS3D.

With almost 20 years in sustainability, Praveen’s experience spans all three elements of sustainability – people, planet and profits – across varied industries and organisations. He started working on sustainability in the legal sector in early 2022 where he worked on embedding sustainability across global offices for an international firm. Prior to this, Praveen worked at BBC Studios where he led sustainability across activities including business operations, facility management, and TV programme/show, live events and merchandise production globally; and established an international employee engagement and community outreach programme. Previously at the charitable arm of a specialist energy, utility and infrastructure investment firm, he worked with policy makers, capital providers and companies to help develop and finance climate change solutions. Praveen has been recognised in Legal 500’s United Kingdom Green Guide 2025. Praveen started his career as a researcher, at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, where he worked on energy efficiency, and the Faculties of Health Sciences, and Nursing, University of Sydney where he worked on examining Australian Government social services.