This seminar is fully booked. 

*This Law Society Skillnet discount is applicable to all practicing solicitors working in the private sector.

The 'S' in ESG - Implications for Inhouse Solicitors

Aim and Objectives
The In-house and Public Sector Committee and Law Society Skillnet are pleased to host the annual panel discussion back onsite in the Law Society. The theme this year focuses on the Social aspects of Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) and its impact for in-house solicitors and the organisations/businesses they serve across the public and private sectors. 

The discussion will be facilitated by a select panel of both public and private sector in-house solicitors, private practitioners and industry experts who will share personal observations and insights based on their career experiences. Smaller break-out discussion groups will follow,   which will provide an ideal opportunity to learn and explore further the issues raised by the panel with your in-house colleagues. 

This event is suitable for: in-house practitioners in the private and public sectors.

Topics and Issues

• The ‘S’ in ESG
  • a general overview of the social aspects of ESG which includes broad definitions of workers, value chain workers, affected communities, consumers and end-users  
    
  • Understanding the development of ESG - the inter-connection with governance and legal compliance 
    
  • The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive - framing and developing the required policies.    
    
• Neurodiversity, Disability, LGBT+ and Employment matters including racial diversity and leave – exploring the obligations and opportunities for in-house practitioners. 
  

Learning Outcomes
Gain an understanding of what the Social aspects of ESG are and how in-house solicitors from various sectors are managing Social issues and obligations.

Chairperson

Caroline Dee Brown, In-house and Public Sector Committee Chair. General Counsel and Director of Legal Services, Commission for Communications Regulation.
Caroline has been working in-house in the public sector for 18 years after previously working in private practice in Ireland, the US and UK. In her current role as General Counsel and Director of Legal Services for ComReg Caroline is responsible for the legal advice to the Commission particularly on all major legal matters, on the legal implications of communications policies in Ireland and the EU and for handling legal matters arising from ComReg’s remit and activities. Caroline is a member of the ComReg Leadership Team and is responsible for the professional leadership of the legal advisors across the organisation ensuring continuing evolvement of matured high standards of legal advice, professional excellence, effective and efficient communication of independent advice across the organisation. Caroline is also responsible for legal aspects of advocacy and stakeholder management. 

Speakers/Panelists

Richard Lee, Lee Solicitors
Richard Lee is principal of Lee Solicitors and has been a practising solicitor for over 30 years and holds a Master of Laws in Advanced Legal Practice from the University of Northumbria. Throughout his professional life Richard has been interpreting and applying the law as it affects business and individuals in a practical context.  Richard is currently finalising his doctorate relating to ESG/Corporate Sustainability Impact and Planning and will be drawing on the latest research and law

Maeve Delargy, Philip Lee LLP
Maeve Delargy qualified as a solicitor in 2016, following completion of a law degree (BCL European) at University College Dublin. She is currently a senior associate on the Planning and Environmental team at Philip Lee. She is a board member with the European Women Lawyers Association, founding committee member of OUTLaw and founder of the Lesbian Lawyers Network. She is a Law Society Council member and Senior Vice Chair of the Law Society of Ireland Younger Members Committee. She is also the former Chairperson of the Irish Women Lawyers Association. 

Joy Tendai Kangere, BL (Barrister at the Bar of Ireland) 
Joy-Tendai Kangere BL is a Junior Counsel specializing in Employment Law at the Bar of Ireland. She studied at the Honorable King’s Inns, following completion of her BCL law degree at UCD Sutherland School of Law. She is a dedicated activist and advocate inspired by the African principle of Ubuntu ( I am because we are) which speaks to community, unity, respect, and dignity. Joy-Tendai is fuelled by being community-focused and authentically using her voice to elevate everyone that she connects with. Joy-Tendai is an international public speaker , writer, columnist, trainer, lecturer and Founder. She regularly contributes to topics of race, justice and equity as well as being called upon for her expertise in justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion advocacy. She is the Founder Roots in Africa-Ireland, a not-for-profit that empowers the African-Irish community through various social and educational programs. Born in Zimbabwe, Joy-Tendai is the first female recipient of the Denham Fellowship, Committee Member of the Climate Bar Association, Committee Member of the Bar of Ireland Equality & Resilience Committee and former Board Member of AONTAS(Adult Learning Charity).

Kate McKenna, Frontline Ventures Management Company Limited, Dublin  
Kate McKenna is in-house legal counsel for Frontline Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Dublin with offices in London and San Francisco. She has been a qualified Irish lawyer since 2011. She trained and worked in a large Dublin law firm before moving in-house in 2013 as commercial IT/IP counsel for an international gaming company before making the move to venture capital in 2020. She is a member of the Council of the Law Society of Ireland since November 2022 and sits on a number of standing and non-standing committees including the technology, in-house and public sector and regulation of practice committees. She lectures on the Law Society's Diploma in Technology and IP course on the topics of copyright and legal technology. She is also a founding committee member of the disAbility Legal Network which is working to bring about a more inclusive legal sector in Ireland. She has published writings on topics such as assistive technology in the legal sector, AI and bias and most recently contributed to a round table discussion last October which looked at the state of lawtech in the Irish courts and the wider legal profession.

Marion O’Donnell, Director, Sustainable Investing, Fidelity International 
Marion has managed Fidelity’s ESG strategy globally across all asset classes since May 2012. In her role, she works closely with the  global investment teams to support and assist them in integrating environmental, social and governance analysis into their investment decision-making process, and also with  the client relationship teams and international sales teams to ensure Fidelity’s  approach to ESG is streamlined across  external communication networks. Marion relocated in her existing role from London to Singapore in 2018 in order to further enhance Fidelity’s ESG strategy in the region. Marion joined Fidelity International in October 2010 and her previous roles at Fidelity have included Proxy Voting Analyst for Europe and the USA and Lawyer in the Investment Legal Team assisting on drafting derivative documentation and third-party contracts. Prior to joining Fidelity, Marion worked as a private client lawyer in P.J. Walsh & Company, Solicitors in Dublin, Ireland.  She is a qualified lawyer in Ireland, England and Wales.

IMPORTANT

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*This Law Society Skillnet discount is applicable to all practicing solicitors working in the private sector.