What clients want from law firms: a book chapter on ESG

The most successful businesses obsess about customer need. That is the not so secret ingredient that helps them grow. This is less common in legal services and there remains a gap - sometimes a gaping chasm - between what business clients want and what law firms and other legal services providers do. I was asked to contribute to a book published by Globe Law and Business that seeks to bridge that gap. It was an easy yes on a topic about which there is a lot to say on behalf of clients who are tackling the many and shifting pressures of sustainability regulation, societal responsibility, governance dynamics, and all the other things wrapped up in the requirements of ESG.

The chapter looks at the state of play; the legal profession and ESG; who is the actual client; what is driving client maturity; and what clients want now and next on ESG, including:

• tone from the top

• getting your house in order

• delivering the goods

• bringing the big picture

• a client is not just for Christmas

• training

• using best in class technology

• governance as the next frontier

• impact not ideology

With chapters from general counsel at Bank of America, Cineplex and baseball team San Diego Padres, among others, you can check out the content and buy the book here or on Amazon, and read my chapter on ESG by clicking on the button below.