Lawyering to Make a Difference: Ethics and Leadership for a Sustainable Society

Virtually all lawyers can work to address climate change and help build a sustainable society in their existing jobs. The foundations are an understanding of sustainable development, a solid grounding in rules governing a lawyer’s legal and ethical responsibilities, and a willingness to learn and practice systems leadership skills—each of which is discussed in this Article. Changing legal practice to combat climate change takes dedication, perseverance, tact, hard work, and patience. But it can be done. And it needs to be done—by as many lawyers as possible.This Article provides an introduction to concepts addressed in greater detail in Sustainability Essentials: A Leadership Guide for Lawyers (John C. Dernbach, Matthew Bogoshian, and Irma Russell, American Bar Association Press, 2022)