Ahead of this month's 18th Annual Bar Leaders' Conference (21-22 May), the International Bar Association 's (IBA) Bar Issues Commission (BIC) has released a report outlining the challenges, opportunities and best practices of almost 50 bar associations and law societies worldwide with regard to formulating and implementing climate initiatives. Also included in the report are goals for the work of these organisations in 2025 and beyond.
The publication of the report, Roundtable on bar association and law society climate initiatives ('the Report'), follows a roundtable discussion convened by the IBA BIC with support from the American Bar Association , Brazilian Bar Association , Law Society of England and Wales , the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association and the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit . The discussion, which brought together more than 70 representatives from the nearly 50 law organisations took place virtually on 13 February 2025.
According to the Report, the roundtable discussions revealed that organisations are employing a wide range of innovative initiatives to address intersections between the legal profession and the climate crisis, including:
- initiatives to better equip lawyers (and judges, in some organisations) to navigate the complexities of climate change in legal advice, including specialised training programmes, climate-focused seminars, guidance documents and reports on how climate change is affecting particular areas of practice;
- engaging in policy advocacy and providing inputs to consultations on environment and climate-related legal frameworks, strategies and action plans;
- measuring and reducing organisations' operational climate impacts; and
- supporting law firms in implementing sustainable business practices and addressing climate impacts associated with legal advice.
Consistent with the IBA Climate Crisis Statement , numerous organisations have established dedicated committees or working groups focused on climate change, sustainability, or environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. In addition, many bars and law societies have established initiatives to better equip lawyers to navigate the complexities of climate change in legal advice.
During the roundtable discussion, the diverse group of participants shared some of the challenges that their respective organisations or climate groups have faced when developing or implementing climate-related initiatives, including:
- resistance to climate initiatives, with respect to gaining broad support;
- providing climate guidance as a regulator, where in a particular jurisdiction, the dual role of national regulator and representative body of the legal profession is held;
- engaging with business lawyers and middle/senior lawyers, where there is fragmentation of both expertise and interest in climate change among an organisation's members;
- limited operational knowledge;
- pace of regulatory developments, with practitioners having difficulty keeping materials up to date in a rapidly changing legislative and regulatory environment;
- challenging legal environment, where a cohesive approach to environmental governance, including clear rules and procedures for planning, investigation and enforcement is lacking; and
- armed conflict that has caused significant environmental damage including to renewable energy infrastructure.
Furthermore, participants identified several needs for support from the IBA and opportunities for collaboration with other organisations across the world to assist their future work. The most common need identified among organisations was for climate legal education. Participants highlighted needs for access to educational resources; a specific course on climate change for lawyers; training on how climate impacts daily legal practice; training on how lawyers' competency obligations interact with climate change; training on broader environmental law issues; and specific training for lawyers on environmental law issues.
Participants shared a range of reflections to guide and inspire work going forward, including: keeping urgency of the issue front of mind, maintaining steadiness in the face of geopolitical challenges and focusing on the opportunities linked to integrating climate considerations into legal practice and for in-house counsel.
The discussions concluded that the law must play a very important role in safeguarding the climate from further destruction. The roundtable participants agreed that it is critical that those involved in launching climate justice legal actions, which prioritise equity and human rights, are supported to coordinate their efforts.
In 2025, the BIC, with support from the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit, will prioritise a number of initiatives aimed at enhancing capacity of organisations and their member lawyers in the climate space. Climate and sustainability will also be focal points at the upcoming 18th Annual Bar Leaders' Conference , and the BIC and other law associations will also convene an event on understanding climate risks and advancing climate competent lawyering at London Climate Action Week (June 2025).
The roundtable, which brought together wide-ranging viewpoints and expertise to create a richer understanding of the global picture, came almost one year after the March 2024 launch of the IBA Climate Registry - a unique climate-knowledge-sharing platform for bar associations and law societies where climate policies and declarations, carbon footprint reports, practitioner guidance and educational events have been shared.
Below, are comments from a number of bar association and law society participants who attended the roundtable.
Steven Richman, Chair of the IBA Bar Issues Commission, who delivered opening remarks at the roundtable, said: 'The attendees at this roundtable from over 30 jurisdictions highlighted that bars and law societies are committed to address the legal issues surrounding climate change, both at an operational level and through their engagement with the legal community and at the governmental level. There are many ways that organisations can take impactful actions now. Supporting appropriate and meaningful policies on climate change and its relation to human rights by associations is a priority for the IBA Bar Issues Commission - it will be a discussion point of the Annual Bar Leaders' Conference, and we look forward to continuing this work in 2025 and beyond.'
Dominique Hogan-Doran SC, Chair of the IBA Bar Issues Commission Regulation Committee, who delivered opening remarks, explained: 'The roundtable highlighted the opportunities linked to integrating climate change considerations into legal practice - including enhancing business resilience, and for in-house counsel, helping their boards to stay informed and prepare for future risks and opportunities. Bar associations and law societies are powerful educational and advocacy bodies - and sometimes regulators. They have huge scope to equip their member lawyers with the critical tools needed to embed climate change risks and opportunities into legal practice and in this way, to futureproof legal practice for the difficult years to come.'
A representative of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association said: 'The roundtable was very well organised and, as participants, it has paved the way for policy making at regional level in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, wherein such initiatives are almost non-existent, and has provided a roadmap for such future initiatives and policy making to minimise the effects of climate change.'
A representative of the Law Society of Scotland stated: 'The climate crisis is the most pressing issue of our time and the IBA roundtable was a welcome opportunity to learn from other law societies and bar associations. There was huge commitment from all delegates and the event emphasised the importance of working together, both at a local and global level, to address the challenges we face. Collaborating with our partners through the IBA will be pivotal in helping our members meet the challenges presented by climate change, in a manner consistent with the rule of law.'
A representative of the Bar Council of England and Wales commented: 'The Bar Council of England and Wales was very pleased to be able to participate in this important initiative and to share our work on sustainability within Chambers and on legal ethics and climate change. We strongly support knowledge exchange and best-practice learning from Bar Councils and Law Societies around the world on these important topics.'
