JUVE: Interview with N. Willms and U. Erling on ESG
Map and territory. Surveying a new consulting field
In the December 2022 edition of JUVE Rechtsmarkt, author Laura Bartels takes a tour of the market and discusses with experts how ESG has changed the landscape of legal advice. According to the article, the best example that boutiques can also set the tone in extensive strategy mandates is the compliance law firm Pohlmann & Company.
“ESG is essentially a compliance task,” says Pohlmann partner Uwe Erling, who manages ESG at the firm with colleague Nicole Willms. “It consists of integrating all three pillars into a company’s risk management.” In terms of content, he says, the topics of today’s ESC consulting are not all completely new. “What is new, on the other hand, is the importance of these topics in risk management and the way they are anchored in corporate management.” The Pohlmann lawyers see themselves in a kind of architect’s role. “Every ESC strategy needs a stable organizational framework – and we build that,” says Willms. In addition, there is in-house expertise in environmental law from partner Erling and technical offerings for risk analysis and prevention, with which the firm has flanked its strategic advice for years. “For certain special topics, such as employment law, we then call in external experts from friendly law firms as needed.” And even when it comes to contentious mandates, Pohlmann does not necessarily stop there. For just recently, the lawyers entered into a kind of cooperation with the litigation department of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, which among other things aims to win ESC mandates.
