DLA Piper chosen to be provider of legal services for COP26

Law firm DLA Piper has been appointed by the UK government as the provider of legal services for the United Nations' (UN) COP26 summit in Glasgow in November.

The firm will provide general commercial support to COP26 including sponsorship agreements. Edinburgh-based partner Dr Sharon Fitzgerald will lead the project alongside colleagues including Jean-Pierre Douglas-Henry, international co-head of sustainability and environmental, social and governance, and global co-chair of litigation and regulation; partner Sarah Bell; and global co-chief executive Simon Levine.

DLA Piper hailed the “additional environmental milestone” for the firm and said it stresses its commitment to the UN’s Race to Zero campaign. For example, the business, whose Scottish presence comprises an office in Edinburgh, has committed to science-based targets to reduce its carbon emissions, with validation of the goal expected in the coming months.

The firm will provide the likes of general commercial support to COP26, which takes place in Glasgow in November. Picture: John Devlin.

The business is also a founding member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance and the recently established Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, and says it is committed to climate action, promoting sustainability reporting and sharing best practice in the legal sector. DLA Piper added that it one of the first firms in the legal sector to receive ISO 14001 certification for environmental management, for example, and is a signatory to Business Ambition for 1.5 degrees.

Mr Douglas-Henry said: "With COP26 starting in less than 100 days, all eyes are now turning to Glasgow and it is an absolute honour to be selected as the provider of legal services to COP26. Our team is excited to be able to support such a monumental event, one that has the ability to make a positive global change to the climate crisis."

Mr Levine also commented: "Our mandate is to embed sustainability into the fabric of the firm and this appointment is yet another example of how we are doing just that. All our lawyers and clients will be impacted by the outcome of COP26 and it's an honour to help our clients transition to a sustainable future, as well as our own business."

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Edinburgh-based partner Dr Sharon Fitzgerald will lead the project. Picture: contributed.

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