Saluting Burns & Levinson, WilmerHale and Sean Cleary for "Greening the Practice of Law"
Posted by Bob Sayre on Fri, May 29, 2009 @ 05:58 PM
The Massachusetts Bar Association just announced it's 2009 Eco-Challenge Honorees. This year's winners were the following three firms: Burns & Levinson LLP; WilmerHale; and The Law Offices of Sean Cleary. Congratulations to each of these firms for the significant steps they have taken to reduce the environmental impact of their operations.
Burns & Levinson and WilmerHale both are large Boston firms, and I am proud to have a good relationship with a number of first-rate attorneys at each firm. Sean Cleary is in Amherst, and we unfortunately have not yet crossed paths, though perhaps we will via the Eco-Challenge in the future.
Do you procure legal services from any law firms in Massachusetts? If so, have they pledged their commitment to the Eco-Challenge? If so and if you believe that we all should make efforts to reduce our environmental impact, please let your firm know that you support their initiative and responsibility. If they are not yet pledge partners, ask your atttorney to lobby the firm to make the pledge. Any good firm will listen to its clients if they haven't otherwise gotten the message.
As a small firm, it's comparatively easy for Modern Times Legal to take dramatic steps to reduce its impact (thanks again MBA and Conservation Law Foundation for the 2008 award), though it truly impresses me to see big firms such as WilmerHale and Burns & Levinson take these steps, as I know how difficult it can be to champion a cause like this and to drive change within a large organization. Publicly taking these steps also sends a powerful message to the firms' clients across the city and across the country that change is happening and may inspire other organizations to follow their lead (e.g., if a firm like WilmerHale is committed to the cause, maybe it's not a radical idea).
If you utilize any of these three firms (or any of last year's winners), please let them know you support their initiatives to promote sustainable practices and to act environmentally responsible.