Corporate Sustainability Law Subcommittees

Banking Law

Mission Statement

The Banking Law Subcommittee focuses on climate-related financial risk, sustainability, and social justice impacts and considerations within the banking and financial services industries. The Subcommittee leverages ongoing outreach and collaboration with the ABA BLS Banking Law Committee and related ABA Sections and Committees to share information and further the goals of the Corporate Sustainability Law Committee.

Chair

Natasha Dempsey

Business and Human Rights

Mission Statement

The Business and Human Rights Subcommittee is focused on helping lawyers advise businesses on fulfilling their responsibilities to respect, promote and uphold internationally recognized human rights standards and accepting and meeting their own responsibilities to respect human rights. In addition to generating programming and content from its own members, the Subcommittee welcomes collaboration with groups within and outside the ABA including the ABA Center for Human Rights; the ABA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Center; the ABA Commission on Disability Rights, the ABA Commission on Women; the International Human Rights Committee of the ABA International Law Section; the Business and Human Rights Committee of the International Bar Association; the Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association; and various committees within the Business Law Section including International Business Law; Middle Market and Small Business Committee; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee; and Private Equity and Venture Capital.

Chair

Alan Gutterman

Community Development

Mission Statement

The Community Development Subcommittee is focused on legal developments that impact local communities, including community investment/reinvestment, affordable housing initiatives, opportunity zones, and tax-favored corporate investments. This Subcommittee will liaise with the BLS Community Economic Development Committee.

Chair

Danielle Reyes

Corporate Counsel

Mission Statement

The Corporate Counsel Subcommittee provides a community for in-house and corporate counsel aimed to empower in-house counsel to deal with evolving environmental, social and governance issues faced by public and private companies. This Subcommittee aims to offer a forum to discuss issues that are unique to in-house counsel enabling sharing of quality information, expertise and knowledge, supporting businesses at all levels of their sustainability journey.

Chair

Cintia Zanellato

Corporate Governance

Mission Statement

The goal of the Corporate Governance Subcommittee is to help private and public stakeholders better navigate corporate governance issues relating to evolving requirements of corporate sustainability law and liaise with ABA Business Law Section’s Corporate Governance Committee and ESG Subcommittee to facilitate joint events and resource sharing.

Chairs

Karen Liu
Cintia Zanellato

Environmental Law

Mission Statement

The Environmental Law Subcommittee focuses on the advancement of sustainable business practices and environmental law by sharing knowledge, education, awareness, and best practices through collaboration with the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources and the Business Law Section’s Environmental Law Committee.

Chair

Kirk LeCureux

Investment Management

Mission Statement

The Investment Management Subcommittee actively monitors industry trends and regulatory developments in sustainable and impact investing in the US and globally. The Subcommittee will connect and share intelligence with the ESG Subcommittee of the New York State Bar Association and the International Bar Association.

Chair

Linda Kleftodimou

Sustainable Reporting Standards

Mission Statement

The Sustainable Reporting Standards Subcommittee is dedicated to promoting awareness of various national and international sustainable reporting standards, keeping track of recent developments, facilitating reporting compliance and liaising with the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) Working Group and other groups inside and outside the ABA on policy inputs, best practices and collaborations.

Chair

Karen Liu

Shareholder Rights

Mission Statement

The Shareholder Rights Subcommittee is a forum and resource for identifying and addressing regulatory, legislative, and private sector initiatives and litigation bearing on corporate-shareholder communications, particularly on matters of sustainability. In meeting that goal, the Subcommittee may comment on regulatory rulemaking and other initiatives, and engage in ongoing dialogue with legislators, regulators, and industry participants regarding the impact of law and practice on business operations and investor rights.

Chair

Beth-ann Roth

Implementation of the ABA Model Policies on Labor Trafficking and Child Labor

Mission Statement

The goal of this Subcommittee is to see the ABA Model Principles on Labor Trafficking and Child Labor approved by the ABA House of Delegates in 2014 incorporated into a variety of business relationships and transactions. This Subcommittee joined the UCC Working Group to Draft Model Contract Clauses to Protect Human Rights in Supply Chains (the MCCs) published in 2018 (Version 1) and 2021 (Version 2).

Chair

David Snyder

Task Force for the RIMC Project

Mission Statement

The Responsible Investors Model Contract (RIMC) Project Subcommittee is working with Rutgers School of Law’s Responsible Contracting Project and other third parties to draft model contract clauses for investment documentation that reflect and require human rights due diligence and protections prior to and throughout the term of private investor or fund manager acquisition of equity interests.

Chairs

Prof. Sarah Dadush
Danielle Reyes