Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG)

Greenberg Traurig’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Practice understands that ESG is a top priority for companies and their executives, and is a critical component of the oversight functions of corporate boards and their committees. Our ESG Practice is not new — it is the product of an evolution of many years of experience advising clients on social corporate responsibility and more. As the world continues to evolve, so do we, and so do our clients’ needs. Our team draws on this experience along with the firm’s vast multidisciplinary and international resources to partner with clients to set, meet, and exceed their ESG objectives.

Our experienced attorneys understand our clients’ businesses and the industries and regulatory frameworks in which they operate. This allows us to analyze risk thoroughly and design custom strategies tailored to specific market segments. In addition to helping clients navigate existing ESG claims and matters, our team prides itself on being proactive, advising clients on how to get ahead of ESG issues and define their brands within this emerging space. We help clients develop programs and best practices compliant with industry standards and implement ways to achieve and assess ESG performance, vehicles to report it, and means to improve it. 

Our team provides guidance to virtually every type of stakeholder. From public and private companies, to investors, industry groups, governmental agencies, and consumer advocacy groups, we identify and evaluate innovative opportunities to improve corporate ESG performance and structure effective compliance protocols. We regularly work on matters related to prominent challenges within the ESG sector, including climate change and environmental justice, renewable fuels, circular economy, carbon sequestration and trading, green investing, access to health care and medication, social impact investing, supply chain management, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and community engagement issues.

We also assist publicly traded and private companies, along with boards of directors, with regulatory compliance and disclosure obligations and advise clients on the use of innovative climate finance and credit systems to advance ESG goals.

Our team also represents investors, funds, sponsors, and other managers with the growing impact of ESG across investment vehicles. We help clients develop sound ESG-related investment strategies and comply with regulatory and compliance obligations, enhance visibility with stakeholders, and develop ESG policies.

We provide a variety of ESG services including:

• developing protocols for corporate governance, including board and committee oversight, diversity initiatives, and public company reporting and disclosures;
• creating strategies to communicate ESG program success and related initiatives to stakeholders, investors, public interest groups, regulators, consumers, and other audiences;
• assisting with developing and adopting ESG metrics and implementing ESG assessment and auditing programs, such as environmental management systems;
• providing guidance on ESG and human capital reporting and disclosure requirements of regulatory and enforcement authorities;
• structuring credit arrangements and other financing sources to support ESG objectives for both borrowers and lenders;
• applying ESG principles to investing and financing and helping borrowers to demonstrate compliance with investor or lender standards such as the Equator Principles;
• working with companies to develop and to implement systems to achieve and improve ESG performance, including environmental management systems (such as those based on ISO 14001) and advising on specific ESG issues such as sustainable development, product stewardship, and climate change;
• advocating client interests during the development of international standards relevant to ESG; and
• defending clients in disputes over the propriety of ESG reports.