How the legal industry drives sustainability and the energy transition

Sep 19, 2025

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In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast, we're unpacking the role the legal industry plays in driving sustainability and energy transition strategies in an interview with Shane Gleghorn, the head of global law firm Taylor Wessing.

The law firm is a member of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), and this episode is the latest in our Terra Carta Series of the All Things Sustainable podcast in collaboration with the SMI. The SMI is a network of over 250 global CEOs across finance and industry, including S&P Global. SMI facilitates private sector diplomacy with the ambition of making sustainability the driving force of global markets and value creation. Throughout 2025, we're interviewing SMI member CEOs from around the world and across industries about how they're approaching sustainability challenges and opportunities.

In the episode, Shane explains how the legal industry works with clients on sustainability goals and how policy and regulation can drive sustainable financing and investment.

"In many respects, the greatest agency that the legal services firms have is to work with their clients to assist them with their transition process," Shane says. "To give you an example, at least 50% of our clients have net-zero targets, and we're working with them to achieve those."

Listen to previous episodes in the Terra Carta Series here: Terra Carta Series | S&P Global

Read research from S&P Global Sustainable on the European Commission's Omnibus Simplification Package here.

Listen to our episode on proposals to simplify the EU's sustainable finance reporting framework here.

You can learn more about the event S&P Global will host at Climate Week NYC on Wednesday, Sept. 24, here: Climate Week NYC | S&P Global

The All Things Sustainable podcast from S&P Global will be an official media partner of The Nest Climate Campus during Climate Week NYC. Register free to attend here.

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1 and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.

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