LAW firms with climate change practices are seeing an upswing in work thanks to a new public zeit geist around renewable energy and remedying climate change.
As The New Lawyer reported on Friday, many climate change lawyers are now waiting for the Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) to pass through Parliament. The emissions trading scheme is expected to provide a new flow of work for environment and climate change lawyers, who have in the past year faced a work slump.
“If it is passed, companies will want to know what their obligations are and they will want to start preparing for it,” said Charmain Barton, environment and climate change partner at DLA Phillips Fox.
“If it’s not passed and the bill is delayed, the work that will flow in to lawyers is not likely to increase until it is passed.”
A lot of businesses are taking a “wait-and-see” approach. “They are waiting to see whether the CPRS gets up and running,” said Barton.
But as firms also “wait-and-see” about the CPRS, they are grateful for an increase in work that is driven by the push for renewable energy.
“I think that is an area where lawyers will become more involved, regardless of whether there is a CPRS or not,” said Barton.
“With the national renewable energy target being 20 per cent of electricity to be funded from renewable sources, that in itself is going to drive greater investment in renewables. That is where I think there is going to be more work for lawyers,” she said.
COMMENT BELOW: How is your climate change practice going? More or less work, and where is it from/ dropped off from?