Legal Village

Lawyers can be friends of the earth

Posted 16/03/2007 by Quentin Poole

I’ve discovered only recently – and to my personal benefit – that lawyers don’t have to cost the earth. But it did take me a while to get there.

My generation regarded material consumption as a right, not a privilege. Now I’m leading a law firm where the average age is 28 and I’ve discovered that I’m in the minority.

I knew times had changed on the day a brighter-than-bright law student we were pursuing emailed me with a request to join her on an environmental march. She was making a decision on which law firm to join on the speed and tone of positive responses.

I used to be a man in denial. Sure, I could see all the arguments and understood that people wanted us to be ‘carbon neutral’. But what, I asked, exactly do you want me to do? I’ve got a business to run!

Then one day, one of our young lawyers gave me a copy of a book called Change The World For A Fiver. To be honest, I thanked him politely, took one look at it and quietly laughed. I thought I’d take it home for one of my daughters.

But it fell open on a page that said ‘Talk to young people, they know cool stuff you don’t’ and that struck a chord. So I did. And talking and listening to young people has given me something which is better than a PhD in hindsight. It’s given me an insight into the future and is shaping my decisions about the firm.

I know we’re all driven – especially at this time in the financial year – by billing, time recovery, PEP forecasts and so on. But we are all on the start of a learning curve when it comes to environmental issues and most of us working in the legal sector are wealthy enough to make some informed choices that will lead the way. Our people expect it.

Tempted? Take a look at www.wearewhatwedo.org and make it one of your 'favourites', as I have. Some of my partners will probably think I’ve gone soft in my old age, but I don’t think any of us should be too old to fit energy-saving light-bulbs, decline to use plastic carrier bags and cups, or share a bath with someone.