The Law Firm Sustainability Network (LFSN) recently launched the American Legal Industry Sustainability Standards (ALISS) to measure law firms’ efforts to become greener by reducing consumption and boosting efficiency.
“Our big picture goal is for (the tool) to become, for law firms, what LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is to commercial real estate,” said Peter Masaitis, partner at Alston & Bird and co-president of the Law Firm Sustainability network.
“If bar associations begin to see this as a useful tool and if they begin promoting it to their members, we would expect [this] to become its name, which is to say the legal industry standard,” Masaitis explained.
He pointed out that the legal industry, which is often described as lagging behind corporate America in innovation, needs environmental benchmarks that will hold law firm leaders to a higher standard.
“It is not as cumbersome as a LEED certification. It is not going to take months and you won’t need a consultant. But it will require input, information and time from people from different offices,” said Masaitis. “There is a lot in it.”
“Our big picture goal is for (the tool) to become, for law firms, what LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is to commercial real estate,” said Peter Masaitis, partner at Alston & Bird and co-president of the Law Firm Sustainability network.
“If bar associations begin to see this as a useful tool and if they begin promoting it to their members, we would expect [this] to become its name, which is to say the legal industry standard,” Masaitis explained.
He pointed out that the legal industry, which is often described as lagging behind corporate America in innovation, needs environmental benchmarks that will hold law firm leaders to a higher standard.
“It is not as cumbersome as a LEED certification. It is not going to take months and you won’t need a consultant. But it will require input, information and time from people from different offices,” said Masaitis. “There is a lot in it.”