Legal ESG:

Toronto

Redefining ESG leadership at the intersection of domestic and global priorities.

SUPER EARLY BIRD

Confirm your place by March 14th and save $300

Overview

As ESG expectations grow more complex and are being challenged worldwide, the Canadian legal profession faces a dual responsibility: navigating evolving regulatory landscapes and partnering with clients to drive sustainable, responsible business practices.

Legal ESG Toronto, taking place on May 7, 2025, once again hosted by Gowling WLG, offers a critical forum for exploring how the Canadian legal profession can collaborate to tackle the challenges and opportunities of sustainable and responsible business.

The intersection of law and ESG continues to evolve, presenting both pitfalls and possibilities for Canadian legal professionals. As domestic regulatory frameworks expand and international standards are in flux, lawyers must address local obligations while guiding clients through the global ESG landscape. This full-day program brings together thought leaders, regulatory bodies, and legal innovators to examine the implications of global ESG trends and provide actionable strategies for collaboration, compliance and resiliency in today's politically polarized world.

Featuring expert panels, interactive workshops, and keynote presentations, Legal ESG Toronto provides attendees with fresh insights on pressing issues—from AI in legal practice and greenwashing regulations to cross-border political shifts, board-level ESG oversight, and the Rule of Law Index.

Legal ESG: Toronto will the highlight strategies needed to navigate today’s evolving ESG challenges and drive meaningful progress within the Canadian legal profession.

Key Themes Include:

• Cross-Border Politics and ESG: Implications of shifting geopolitical landscapes: most notably the “Trump 2.0” era in the U.S. and the upcoming Canadian elections—on ESG requirements and strategic decision-making for Canadian businesses.
• Artificial Intelligence and the Practice of Law: How will the rapid advancements in AI fundamentally change the practice of law?
• Collaborative ESG Strategies: The role of law firms in helping clients achieve sustainable and responsible business practices—through hands-on, future-focused guidance.
• Climate and Financial Disclosures: How evolving global standards, and the recent EU Ombudsman bill, are impacting Canadian reporting obligations.  And what of Canada's regulatory environment?
• The Role of the Board: What role do Board members play in strategic decision-making within an ESG framework?  How do Boards communicate changes to prior climate and DEI commitments?
• Ethics and the Rule of Law: With increasing corruption and ethics challenges globally, how do lawyers advice and influence to uphold the Rule of Law? Given the challenges to the Rule of Law globally, how do lawyers act with agency and urgency?
• The Role of the Profession: With today's geopolitical trends, the increasing social polarization, and challenges to traditional business norms and expectations, what is the role of the profession in advancing society toward a more just, equitable and sustainable world?

Super Early Bird Registration:

Confirm your place by March 14th and save $300

HOST / LEAD PARTNER

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

Super Early Bird Registration:

Confirm your place at Legal ESG: Toronto by March 14th and save $300

SPEAKING FACULTY

Agenda

Wednesday, May 7th, 2025

We will be announcing the agenda in the coming weeks.

Stay Tuned.

Faculty

Do you have an interesting story to present? A case study to share? Or would like to be a part of one of the panels?

If you are interested in collaborating with us on this program or one of our upcoming Inside Practice programs, let us know, complete our 2025 Invitation to Collaborate

8:00AM – 9:00 AM GMT 

Registration / Breakfast 

9:00AM – 9:15AM GMT 

Chairperson's Opening Remarks

CHAIRPERSON

Pamela Cone, Founder & CEO, Amity Advisory, Practice Leader: Legal ESG, Inside Practice 

9:15 AM - 10:00 AM

The Future of Artificial Intelligence in the Practice of Law

OVERVIEW

The future of AI in law is poised to bring significant transformation, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility while also raising ethical and regulatory concerns. AI will not replace lawyers, but it will augment their capabilities, allowing legal professionals to focus on strategy, negotiation, and advocacy while delegating repetitive tasks to AI. The key challenge will be balancing innovation with ethical and regulatory safeguards.

SPEAKER

Professor Abdi Aidid, Yale Law School 

10:00 aM – 10:45 Am

Geopolitical Overview:

Navigating Trump 2.0 / Canada Elections

OVERVIEW

The Trump 2.0 era is now fully underway, complete with pardons to convicted Proud Boy/Oath Keeper January 6 seditionists, termination of government DEI programs, a military-enforced immigration crackdown, and an order to exit the Paris Climate Treaty, among many other moves. 

While the question of how all sectors of society can appropriately respond to Trump 2.0 is front and center at this particularly volatile and fast-evolving time, the focus here is on the impact of changes in policy and approach in the US on Canadian business and trends they need to be aware of in the ESG space. Canadian elections will be relevant to the Canadian backdrop to these impacts.

SPEAKERS

Bill Gilliland, Partner, Dentons 

10:45 AM – 11:00 AM 

Networking AM Coffee Break

11:00 AM – 11:45 AM 

Briefing:

ESG Regulatory Developments in Canada and Cross-Border Considerations

OVERVIEW

Canada’s ESG regulatory landscape is undergoing significant change, with evolving disclosure requirements, carbon pricing policies, and environmental assessment frameworks. However, with an upcoming federal election, regulatory uncertainty looms—particularly as opposition parties advocate for scaling back ESG-related regulations. 



For multinational companies operating in both Canada and the U.S., diverging regulatory frameworks pose challenges. The potential for political shifts in Canada— especially the Conservative Party’s "Axe the Tax" campaign—could reshape ESG obligations for businesses, impacting long-term investment decisions and compliance strategies. 

This session will be a discussion with clients sharing how organizations must remain agile, monitor cross-border ESG trends, ensure alignment with both jurisdictions, and prepare for potential regulatory shifts that could impact operations, trade, and investment planning.

MODERATOR

Stephen Pike, Partner, Gowling WLG

PANEL

Natalie LaMarche, Legal Counsel, Sustainability & Accessibility, Bank of Montreal

Jennifer King, Partner, Gowling WLG

11:45 PM – 12:15 PM

Greenwashing Update

OVERVIEW

Canada is combatting greenwashing through significant legislative amendments and increased regulatory scrutiny. The recent amendment to the Competition Act explicitly prohibits businesses from making false or misleading environmental claims without proper substantiation.

Now, the burden of proof rests on companies to demonstrate that their environmental benefit claims are based on adequate and proper testing or substantiation, a reversal from previous law. And starting mid-year 2025, private parties will have the right to seek leave from the Competition Tribunal to initiate actions under the Act’s civil misleading representation provisions, including those related to greenwashing.

These legislative changes are expected to lead to increased litigation, including class actions and shareholder activism, as companies navigate the evolving regulatory landscape surrounding environmental claims. 

MODERATOR

Sharon Singh, Partner, Regulatory & ESG Group, Co-Head, Environment and Indigenous, McMillan LLP 

12:15 PM - 12:45 PM

Update from Law Students for Climate Accountability

SPEAKER

Haley Czarnek, National Director, LSCA

12:45 PM - 1:30 PM

Networking Lunch

1:30 PM – 2:15 PM

General Counsel Panel:

ESG Progress while Managing and Mitigating Risks

OVERVIEW

Managing ESG expectations, regulations and disclosures, all while navigating the political shifts and headwinds has become a full-time job.

• How are internal legal departments addressing these challenges?
• Whose job is it anyway?
• What role could/should GCs play in advising the Board on these topics? 

In this session, we will hear the clients’ perspectives on these issues as they share their approaches, lessons learned, and success stories.

MODERATOR

Sharon Singh, Partner, Regulatory & ESG Group, Co-Head, Environment and Indigenous, McMillan LLP

1:40PM - 2:20PM GMT / ESG Data Collection and Validation

The Role of the Board of Directors in ESG:

How are Boards successfully addressing ESG in their strategic decision-making?

OVERVIEW

The Board of Directors is essential to ensuring that ESG practices are properly embedded within a company’s culture and operations. It is their responsibility to drive long-term sustainability through strategic guidance, effective oversight, and strong governance. By doing so, they enhance the company’s reputation, mitigate risks, and deliver value to all stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, and society at large. 

SPEAKERS:

Ramandeep Grewal, Partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP

3:00 PM – 3:15 PM

Networking PM Coffee Break

3:15 PM - 4:30 PM

The Rule of Law Index:

What Are the Findings Telling Us? 

OVERVIEW

When trust in the Rule of Law declines in countries worldwide (as it has since 2019), civil society around the world is threatened. How can legal professionals strengthen the Rule of Law? How can legal advisers ensure that their clients recognize serious business and greenwashing risks in countries with weak Rule of Law?

Legal professionals play a critical role in strengthening the Rule of Law. By advocating for stronger legal frameworks, supporting due diligence, and promoting transparency, legal advisers can steer their clients toward genuine, impactful practices. This holistic approach can empower businesses to operate responsibly, contribute to stronger governance, and foster long-term viability and sustainability.

SPEAKER

Mark Lewis, Chief of Public Sector Partnerships, World Justice Project 

3:25 PM - 4:00 PM

The Role of the Legal Profession in ESG

OVERVIEW

The legal profession holds a central and profound role in shaping a just, equitable, and sustainable society. It is the responsibility of legal professionals to uphold the law with the ethical duty to ensure that laws and their application contribute to the greater good of society. Our profession stands at a crossroads, where its potential to effect positive societal change is immense. Whether through policy reform, litigation, or public advocacy, or through our client advice, the role of the legal profession is both an opportunity and an obligation to help build a more just, equitable, and sustainable world. 

MODERATOR:

Pamela Cone, ESG Practice Leader at Inside Practice

PANEL:

TBA

5:15pm – 5:30pm 

Chairperson’s Closing Remarks

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Drinks/Networking Reception 

Venue

Legal ESG: Toronto will be hosted at the Toronto office of our lead partner Gowling WLG:

Address:

1 First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West, Suite 1600

Toronto, Ontario

M5X 1G5

Canada

Registration

Confirm your place at:

Legal ESG: Toronto

By March 14th and save $300. 

Individual Registration

$995

($695 through 03/14)

Contact Us

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For more information: contact@insidepractice.com