Bell Gully’s climate change practice ranked in the Legal 500’s Green Guide Asia Pacific

Bell Gully has been recommended as a leading firm law firm for climate change advice in the Legal 500’s inaugural Asia Pacific Green Guide directory.

The Asia Pacific Green Guide has been introduced by the well-known international legal research firm to explore the legal sector’s contribution to a green transition. The guide aims to provide a holistic view on firms’ engagement with sustainability, including both work for clients as well as firms’ own best practices and initiatives.

In comments accompanying the new guide, its editor Anna Baubock said it is clear the green transition is not linear across the region. Hong Kong leads the region in the number of law firms contributing to the transition that were identified by the guide, followed by New Zealand. “Our research shows a particularly high standard of legal work in the ESG space for both jurisdictions,” she said.

For over 20 years, Bell Gully’s climate change team has been at the forefront of climate change practice in New Zealand, including contributing to core climate change legislation in New Zealand and advising clients in New Zealand and internationally on emerging climate issues – including on pioneering emissions trading activity, the world’s first carbon trade for avoided deforestation and advising some of the countries that will be most impacted by climate change.

The practice is already ranked for its environment work across a number of leading legal directories, while Bell Gully consultant Simon Watt has long been recognised as one of the top 15 climate lawyers in the world by another major legal directory, Chambers Global, as the only New Zealand lawyer included in their global ‘Market Leader’ rankings. He has been named in the prestigious rankings since 2008 and has led the firm’s climate practice over the last two decades.

“It’s great to see Bell Gully’s longstanding commitment to developing the legal framework around climate change recognised at a regional level,” said Natasha Garvan, who heads Bell Gully’s environment practice and is convenor of the New Zealand Law Society’s Climate Change Law Sub-Committee.

Bell Gully is also taking steps to minimise the environmental impact of its own operations. In August 2022, the firm committed to a technology roll-out through an innovative partnership with leasing specialists Quadrent and BNZ which will reduce e-waste from the firm’s technology entering landfill, and will provide repurposed digital technology to communities around New Zealand to improve education outcomes.