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Chapman Tripp is delighted to announce that Kate Wilson Butler has been appointed as Director of our Climate, Sustainability and ESG practice.
This is the first appointment of its kind for the firm. Partners, Nicola Swan (Wellington) and Alana Lampitt (Auckland) who co-chair the practice (which also spans Chapman Tripp’s consulting arm – CT Consulting) are delighted with the move, which cements the firm’s focus on climate change, sustainability and ESG across its corporate, finance, litigation, risk and environment practices.
Chief Executive Partner, Pip England, said “This is a deliberate investment in expanding the firm’s leadership on ESG and sustainability law. This area is fast moving and highly dynamic and so too is the nature of advice required to navigate it."
"We are responding to market and client demands by increasing our capability to support our clients in ways that challenge the perceptions of a traditional law firm. Kate’s appointment is particularly exciting given her strong government and international experience."
Before joining the firm, Kate was Head of Climate Action at the Sustainable Business Council, advocating on behalf of and working alongside some of New Zealand's largest companies on climate change policy and strategy. Prior to that Kate spent nine years working on climate change, trade and economic issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand and offshore, including as Private Secretary to the Minister for Climate Change.
Chapman Tripp is the market leader on climate change law and climate risk, and provides a depth of experience across all aspects of sustainability and ESG. The team regularly advises boards of directors and executive teams on climate-related regulatory changes, including the Emissions Reduction Plan, New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme and the incoming mandatory climate-related disclosures regime.
Chapman Tripp is the sole New Zealand law firm to have joined the international Net Zero Lawyers Alliance and recently provided pro bono legal support to the development of New Zealand’s first investment management Stewardship Code.
