Reflecting on “We Are All Climate Lawyers Now” with Laura Zizzo 

By: Tian Gao, J.D. Candidate 2023 
 

“You are all Climate Change Lawyers now, whether you want to be or not.” This John Kerry quote was the opening proposition of the event that began this year’s Future of Law Lab Speaker Series. There, I heard lawyer-trained entrepreneur Laura Zizzo speak about her fascinating career and the influence of climate change on all areas of law. 

As a 2L student, it was my first in-person noontime event since starting law school. It felt good to be there. Laura was engaging and knowledgeable, but what struck me most was her pragmatism. She is ready to move past daunting climate change predictions and get something done. For her, that means focusing on the private sector. 

This is because climate change and the regulatory push surrounding climate change pose impending risks to companies that don’t adapt. We have already seen the carbon tax put a price on carbon emissions. It is in the interest of investors to choose companies that will survive the changes to come, including the possibility of a net-zero future. Present-day clients are already catching on. 

This was a new and exciting idea to me. There is a common narrative of pitting profit and sustainability against each other. We often assume that environmentally friendly choices are made at the expense of business interests, or perhaps purely for marketing purposes. But, as Laura argued, “You’re doing a disservice to shareholders if you ignore the biggest risk. If it’s important to your shareholders that you focus on cybersecurity risks, why not climate risks?” 

Laura began her career as an environmental lawyer at a full service firm before going solo at the age of 27. Legal consulting on climate issues turned into strategic consulting. She then turned to tech in order to broaden her platform. 

Manifest Climate is a program that uses machine learning to score companies on their alignment with the TCFD framework for disclosing climate-related risks and opportunities. I was surprised to learn that Laura had known little about tech before starting a tech platform. Even now, she continues to leave the tech to others. Her advice is simple: don’t be afraid to ask for help. She repeatedly emphasized the help she got from various experts just by asking. 

Laura’s talk left me wondering about what kind of role climate change might play in my own practice. It was a captivating start to this year’s Speaker Series at the Future of Law Lab and I can’t wait to see what the upcoming line-up of events will hold.