Behind every climate disaster, there is fossil fuel. And behind every fossil fuel project, there is a lawyer representing the interests of a fossil fuel company.
In the context of transactional work (e.g. drafting contracts and arranging financing), 55 UK-listed firms facilitated £1.48 trillion in fossil fuel projects between 2018 and 2022 – more than 2.5 times the amount these firms facilitated for renewable energy. We do not currently have up-to-date figures for Scottish law firms, but one thing is certain: many law firms here are similarly entangled with the fossil fuel industry, which is lobbying hard to extract every last drop of oil and gas from the North Sea.
This is why, on 28 February, ERCS hosted the inaugural Fossil Free Law student gathering in Glasgow, welcoming over twenty law students from universities across Scotland to learn, network, eat pizza, and develop strategy for the Fossil Free Law campaign.
Scotland’s next generation of lawyers are clear: for too long, law firms have readily accepted lucrative contracts from oil and gas companies, enabling fossil fuel transactions that are releasing millions of tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere and accelerating the climate emergency.
The campaign takes inspiration from the trailblazing work of Law Students for Climate Accountability, aiming to embed climate considerations in the decision-making of law firms on which clients to take on, and change the culture of Scotland’s legal sector.
The gathering began with contributions from law students Sandy Malcolm at the University of Glasgow and Layla Vansoh from the University of Edinburgh, who spoke eloquently about the campaign and their motives for participation, followed by ERCS solicitor Kate Smith reflecting on her journey to climate conscious lawyering.
The rest of the day featured workshops, skill shares, and strategy planning, with the aim of establishing autonomous groups at every university to work with student law societies, legal clinics and academics and catalyse a step change in attitudes and challenge the acceptability of lawyers providing services that exacerbate climate breakdown.
As a first step, students are preparing to send a letter to the Law Society of Scotland, calling on them to strengthen their guidance and support solicitors in declining to advise on matters incompatible with Paris Agreement climate targets.
Beyond this, there is bigger task to be done convincing law firms to change how they do business – but with the climate emergency now on our doorstep and international law rapidly evolving to catch up, realising this goal may be closer than we think.
With a growing movement of law students determined to create change, there is a generational shift on the horizon. The transformation of Scotland’s legal sector now appears inevitable – it’s not a question of if change is possible, but when.
If you are a law student or recent graduate, you can sign our letter to the Law Society of Scotland (deadline: 31 March) and email fflaw@ercs.scot to get involved with the campaign.
Header image: Cromarty Firth oil rigs, image by joiseyshowaa licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0, edited.
Article images: Stills from the Fossil Free student gathering in Glasgow, by Cornell Hanxomphou
