The Growing Need for ESG-Focused Corporate Attorneys

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations have become an increasingly important part of corporate decision-making, influencing everything from regulatory compliance and corporate governance to employment practices and risk management. For attorneys with corporate, securities, compliance, employment, or governance experience, ESG represents a growing area of opportunity to expand their expertise and provide valuable legal counsel.

Whether advising on corporate governance, regulatory compliance, labor and employment matters, environmental regulations, or disclosure obligations, lawyers are increasingly finding that ESG principles intersect with their existing practice. Below, we’ll explore why demand for ESG-focused legal expertise continues to grow, how changing compliance expectations are reshaping the legal profession, and what attorneys can do to position themselves for emerging opportunities in this rapidly evolving field.

The Role of Attorneys in ESG and Sustainability

The responsibilities of corporate attorneys continue to evolve as Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations become increasingly embedded in business strategy. While ESG is often associated with sustainability initiatives, its legal implications extend much further. ESG attorneys help organizations navigate corporate governance, regulatory compliance, securities disclosures, employment practices, supply chain oversight, risk management, and board responsibilities.

Rather than functioning as a standalone legal discipline, ESG often intersects with multiple practice areas. Corporate attorneys may advise on governance policies, review public disclosures, evaluate regulatory developments, conduct due diligence during mergers and acquisitions, or help organizations mitigate legal and reputational risk. As a result, attorneys with experience in corporate law, securities, employment, compliance, environmental law, or governance may already possess many of the skills organizations seek when building ESG capabilities.

This growing responsibility is also reshaping the role of in-house legal departments. Research conducted by Harvard Law School’s Center on the Legal Profession and EY found that sustainability issues are increasingly falling under the responsibility of General Counsel, reinforcing the expanding role attorneys play in helping organizations navigate complex ESG challenges.

Why Demand is Growing for ESG-Focused Attorneys

The demand for attorneys with ESG experience continues to grow as organizations face increasing expectations from regulators, investors, employees, customers, and boards of directors. While ESG discussions often focus on environmental initiatives, the legal work extends much further, encompassing corporate governance, disclosure obligations, labor and employment practices, ethics, data privacy, supply chain oversight, and risk management.

Legal professionals themselves recognize this growing demand. According to Wolters Kluwer’s 2024 Future Ready Lawyer Survey, 68% of legal professionals believe demand for ESG legal expertise is increasing, including 77% of corporate legal departments. As businesses continue to integrate ESG considerations into strategic decision-making, attorneys who understand these issues are becoming increasingly valuable advisors.

Regulatory compliance is also driving this trend. A recent KPMG survey found that 78% of CEOs identified regulatory and reporting obligations as the primary reason their organizations prioritize ESG initiatives. As reporting requirements continue to evolve across jurisdictions, attorneys are expected to help organizations interpret new regulations, manage disclosure obligations, and reduce legal risk while supporting broader business objectives.

How Compliance is Driving a Gap in Preparedness

While organizations recognize the importance of ESG, many acknowledge they are still building the internal legal capabilities needed to support these initiatives effectively.

According to Wolters Kluwer, only 41% of corporate legal professionals and 29% of law firm respondents consider themselves very prepared to meet the growing demand for ESG legal expertise. Those findings suggest that demand for ESG attorneys is growing faster than organizations are developing the talent needed to support it.

Part of the challenge is that ESG rarely fits neatly within a single legal specialty. A single project may involve securities law, employment law, corporate governance, environmental regulations, commercial contracts, privacy, and regulatory compliance. Attorneys are increasingly expected to understand how these disciplines intersect while helping organizations navigate changing legal expectations.

Overcoming a Lack of ESG Training and Policies

As ESG responsibilities continue to expand, organizations are investing in education, governance frameworks, and internal policies. Even so, formal ESG training remains inconsistent throughout the legal profession.

The Wolters Kluwer survey found that 56% of corporate legal departments currently provide ESG training for legal staff, compared with 45% of law firms. While those numbers continue to improve, they also indicate that many attorneys must take the initiative to build ESG knowledge through continuing education, practical experience, and cross-functional collaboration.

Fortunately, developing ESG expertise does not necessarily require changing practice areas. Attorneys who advise on corporate governance, employment policies, securities disclosures, compliance programs, investigations, or regulatory matters are often already handling issues that fall within the broader ESG landscape. Staying informed about emerging regulations and understanding how ESG considerations affect business decision-making can help attorneys broaden their expertise while continuing to build upon their existing practice.

As organizations continue to refine their ESG strategies, attorneys who combine strong legal fundamentals with an understanding of evolving ESG expectations will be well positioned to support both legal compliance and long-term business objectives.

For many attorneys, however, this gap also creates opportunity. Lawyers who have built experience across governance, compliance, corporate transactions, labor and employment, or regulatory matters often possess transferable skills that position them well for ESG-related work, even if their previous roles did not carry an ESG title.

The Challenge of Finding ESG Legal Talent

Although demand for ESG attorneys continues to grow, identifying qualified talent remains a challenge. Unlike more established legal specialties, ESG expertise is often developed gradually through experience across multiple practice areas rather than through a traditional career path.

Many attorneys possess relevant experience without identifying themselves as ESG lawyers. A corporate attorney who has advised on governance issues, a securities attorney who has worked on public disclosures, or an employment attorney who has developed workplace policies may already have substantial experience addressing ESG-related matters. The challenge lies in recognizing how those experiences translate to an organization’s evolving legal needs.

We’ve seen this firsthand throughout our years of legal recruiting. Attorneys often underestimate how valuable their compliance, governance, regulatory, or corporate experience can be in ESG-related roles. Likewise, employers sometimes overlook candidates whose ESG experience is embedded within broader legal responsibilities rather than reflected in a job title.

As ESG continues to influence corporate decision-making, attorneys who understand how legal risk, governance, compliance, and business strategy intersect will likely find themselves increasingly well positioned for new opportunities. Atticus Recruiting helps attorneys evaluate how their existing experience may align with emerging ESG-related roles and identify opportunities that support their long-term career goals. To discuss your next move, contact Atticus Recruiting today.