Powered by LawFuel – Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is pleased to announce that the firm has launched an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Practice, which provides holistic advice to clients on their corporate responsibility and ESG risks and opportunities. The new practice is led by Dallas senior of counsel Ronald Kirk, London partners Susy Bullock and Selina Sagayam, Los Angeles partner Perlette Jura, and Washington, D.C. partners Elizabeth Ising and Michael Murphy.
“Clients are increasingly facing calls from stakeholders and regulators, as well as from within their own organizations, to proactively address ESG across their business footprint. Our new practice offers seamless advice to organizations grappling with complex developments across jurisdictions amid growing industry guidance and regulatory scrutiny,” said Ken Doran, Chairman and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “Our ESG practice leverages the talents and expertise of lawyers globally who engage in constant collaboration across disciplines in recognition of the universal nature of issues our clients face.”
“ESG has evolved to become a key performance metric and an important investment strategy due to the growing focus on long-term value creation. Organizations and their leadership increasingly must implement and disclose robust processes and frameworks to address the growing number of rules, standards and expectations that apply at a national, regional and global level,” said Elizabeth Ising, a leader of the ESG Practice.
“The pandemic has played a role in demonstrating that ESG integration into strategy is business-critical, and questions of corporate purpose and what constitutes good governance are being considered in the context of an active debate around stakeholder capitalism, and a growing body of litigation connected with ESG concerns. Crucially, discussions around pursuing an ESG program have risen to the top of the agenda for corporates, legislatures and regulators alike,” said Susy Bullock, who co-leads the ESG Practice.
“There is widespread recognition of the critical role that financial market participants can play in supporting the transition to a more sustainable global economy,” said Selina Sagayam, also a leader of the ESG practice. “The heightened pace towards sustainable finance and investment is not just being driven by the private sector but by regulators and governments and we are seeing its impact across the lending, insurance and investment industries. Capital flows are increasingly being directed towards borrowers and asset managers that understand and effectively manage sustainability issues, and the levels of growth and innovation in ‘green finance’ are at unprecedented levels, signaling a comprehensive shift in how financial markets work and generating new and exciting businesses opportunities for our clients.”
