How the legal industry drives sustainability and the energy transition

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. Copyright ©2025 by S&P Global DISCLAIMER By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. Any unauthorized use, facilitation or encouragement of a third party's unauthorized use (including without limitation copy, distribution, transmission or modification, use as part of generative artificial intelligence or for training any artificial intelligence models) of this Podcast or any related information is not permitted without S&P Global's prior consent subject to appropriate licensing and shall be deemed an infringement, violation, breach or contravention of the rights of S&P Global or any applicable third-party (including any copyright, trademark, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other proprietary rights). This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.