Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers
Launch Week

Join us at the GAIL Launch Week, where we will unveil the forward looking agenda of the new Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers.

About the community

Law – Leadership – Impact 

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Accelerating the Just Transition | Establishing Equitable Legal and Economic Frameworks

The challenge of our generation is to make a just transition to a zero-carbon global economy, and move towards a new economic paradigm, underpinned by a legal framework that works for all stakeholders.

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If we are successful, it will be humanity’s greatest ever political, economic and social transformation – and achievement. What worked yesterday and what predominates today, will not prevail tomorrow.

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We will need to rethink almost everything, including law, legal practice and the role of the lawyer.

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We will need to leave behind business which neglects or undermines people and planet and we will need to start, scale and preference business which has a material positive impact on people and planet. 

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In this new and evolving context, we believe the lawyers of the future will be impact lawyers.

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Impact lawyers

Lawyers are powerful advocates, champions and gatekeepers. 

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The world needs lawyers to step up to protect our planet and ensure justice and equity are served. 

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Our impact lawyer community is redefining the law and legal practice by designing new corporate and financing structures, drafting new legislation, policy and guidance and bringing seminal cases. 

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Impact lawyers are legal leaders working to have a positive impact on people and planet - personal success is measured in positive impact, not profit. Many are business and finance lawyers, some are litigators, some have other forms of expertise. Some work at major firms, others small. Some are senior, some junior. Some are practitioners, others academics. All are using law to accelerate the just transition and bring about a paradigm shift. 

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The impact economy

We believe that right under our noses there are emerging, alternative economic paradigms which place people and planet alongside profit. There are new financial institutions, market mechanisms and corporate structures deeply driven by the pursuit of positive impact. Think co-ops, social enterprise, benefit corporations, B Corps, impact investors. We call this growing marketplace the impact economy.

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We believe the impact economy holds many of the keys to the truly regenerative economic future we need. We believe that the legal design features of the impact economy can be scaled and replicated.

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Impact lawyers are at the forefront of designing, shaping and growing the impact economy. Impact lawyers are also taking a lead through the courts and by using legal challenges to arrest the harmful impacts which are created by business, and in ensuring a level playing field for the best businesses.

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We'll be presenting our view of the future, and discussing these topics in-depth at our virtual launch events. We invite you to join the conversation.