Wendel Rosen Helps Launch Law Firm Sustainability Network's New Assessment Tool
OAKLAND, Calif., Apr. 21, 2015 – Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP is proud to announce its participation in the development and pilot launch of the Law Firm Sustainability Network’s (LFSN) American Legal Industry Sustainability Standard (ALISS) program. ALISS is an online assessment tool designed to allow law firms to measure their sustainability efforts and identify opportunities to enhance their programs and practices. Read the official press release here.
LFSN is a nonprofit organization of law firms and legal departments committed to promoting the benefits of environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility throughout the legal industry. Its mission is to develop key performance indicators, foster knowledge-sharing, develop best practice guidelines, and recognize and promote sustainability innovations in the U.S. legal sector. Wendel Rosen serves on LFSN’s Leadership Council and Executive Director Gina Maciula is on the Board of Directors, serving as treasurer from 2012-2013. Maciula has been working with a team of Leadership Council law firm leaders since August 2011 to research, build, test and launch ALISS as a tool to help law firms and corporate legal departments track, improve and communicate sustainable practices in their operations.
“Since the launch of LFSN, we have made great strides in the industry to promote awareness of sustainability and corporate social responsibility, values that have been ingrained in the Wendel Rosen culture for many, many years,” said Maciula. “ALISS now gives law firms a formal tool designed specifically for the legal environment to measure their efforts. We know that numbers produce results and are very hopeful that these transparent measurements will push firms to increase their sustainability efforts. At Wendel Rosen our like-minded clients greatly appreciate that sustainability is at the forefront of our operations.”
Wendel Rosen has long been a pioneer when it comes to adopting and promoting sustainable business practices in the legal profession. In 2003, it became the first law firm in the country certified as a green business (certification conducted by the Bay Area Green Business Program) and launched its Green Business Practice Group. Since then, Wendel Rosen has won numerous awards for its leadership in the green economy. In addition, the firm co-chaired the effort to write and pass California’s Benefit Corporation Law (AB361) and has been a Certified B Corporation since 2010. The firm participated in the committee that drafted the State Bar of California “Voluntary State Bar of California Lawyers Eco-Pledge and Voluntary Law Office Sustainability Policy” and was a founding member of the United States Green Building Council - Northern California Chapter. Wendel Rosen’s Green Business Practice is a member of 1% for the Planet, giving one percent of annual revenues to environmental causes. Firm attorneys and executives regularly speak and write for business audiences regarding the pursuit of sustainable business operations.
About Wendel Rosen
Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP serves a diverse clientele of business, public and individual clients located throughout California and the United States. With offices in Oakland and Modesto, California, the 106-year-old firm advises clients on transactional and civil litigation matters in several related fields of law, including green business; real estate; business/corporate; construction; eminent domain; employment; environmental; estate planning, trusts and probate; insurance; intellectual property; land use; taxation; bankruptcy, restructuring and creditor rights; and technology The firm was recognized by the National Law Journal on its “Midsize Hot List” in 2009 and 2014. Additional information about the firm and its attorneys may be found at www.wendel.com.