Biglaw

Climate Activists Stage Protest At Biglaw Megafirm, Decrying Its 'Crimes Against The Planet'

The Biglaw firm in question is one of the worst when it comes to exacerbating climate change.

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Climate FantasyThanks to the dedicated work of Law Students for Climate Accountability, we know that Biglaw firms continue to be a “hotbed of fossil fuel activity.” According to the group’s fifth annual Climate Scorecard, Biglaw firms received grades of “A” to “F” based on their work — and an environmental group recently staged a major protest outside of the London headquarters of a recently merged Biglaw behemoth, whose legacy firms both received “F” grades.

Yesterday, members of Extinction Rebellion (XR) occupied A&O Shearman, entering the firm’s lobby and protesting just outside the building. This is the third protest in the span of about 30 days to take place at the firm. As noted by LSCA, A&O Shearman worked on $285 billion worth of fossil-fuel-related transactions between 2019 and 2023.

Here’s an excerpt from XR’s press release on the most recent protest, where five climate activists were reportedly arrested:

Rebels have entered the building and are occupying the lobby, while others spray the outside of the building with fake oil. An oil derrick is outside the entrance, on which a Grim Reaper figure sits holding a scythe and a set of scales, with a burning planet in one pan and a pile of oily cash in the other. The air is filled with smoke and the sound of drums, and activists are using a megaphone to spell out A&O Shearman’s crimes against the planet.

Extinction Rebellion has made the following demands of A&O Shearman:

1. We demand A&O Shearman cut their ties with the fossil fuel industry immediately.

2. We call on all existing A&O Shearman employees to refuse to work for their fossil fuel clients or leave.

3. We call on all new legal talent to go and find work elsewhere.

Environmental protests like these aren’t going to stop anytime soon. Biglaw needs to do better, to make the future better for all of us.

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Climate activists occupy London HQ of law firm that supports Big Oil [Extinction Rebellion]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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