Embedding sustainability into legal practice: Interview with Dr Ariel Edesess, Hill Dickinson
Verfasst von Joanna CONNELL
“Our goal is to ensure colleagues understand why sustainability matters.”
Transforming sustainability from a reporting requirement into a strategic priority
Interview with Dr Ariel Edesess, Sustainability Lead at Hill Dickinson
What does sustainability look like in a global law firm, and how can legal professionals help shape the transition to a low-carbon future? In this interview, Ariel shares how the firm has built its sustainability strategy from the ground up with the support of Apave Climate School, and empowered colleagues to turn learning into meaningful action.
Discover the challenges and milestones from one of the UK’s leading commercial law firms.
Meet Hill Dickinson
Could you introduce yourself and Hill Dickinson?
Ariel: Hill Dickinson is a leading commercial law firm headquartered in Liverpool, with over 200 years of history. We have seven offices across England and four internationally, two in Asia and two in Europe, and operate as a full-service firm. While we work across many sectors, we have particular expertise in marine, healthcare, and business services.
As the sole full-time sustainability lead, I drive the firm’s decarbonisation efforts and work to embed climate considerations into operational and strategic decision-making.
Compared to other sectors, what makes sustainability a strategic issue in the legal sector?
Ariel: Our direct environmental impact is relatively small. However, our influence is significant. Lawyers sit at the centre of transactions, contracts, disputes, and regulatory processes, which means they play a key role in shaping how climate considerations are embedded in business decisions.
While our impact isn’t always captured through traditional emissions metrics, it shows up in how effectively we support clients navigating climate risks and opportunities, particularly where clients themselves may still be understanding how climate affects their business.
Some client demand is driven by regulatory requirements, but there’s also a need to be proactive in anticipating future developments. There’s also variability across sectors: healthcare and shipping, for example, face very different challenges.
“The biggest challenge has been translating complex climate concepts into something that feels relevant and actionable for people in their roles.”
Building a sustainability strategy
How has sustainability developed at Hill Dickinson, and what does it look like today?
Ariel: When I joined four years ago, there wasn’t a formal sustainability programme. We were meeting basic reporting requirements, but that was largely the extent of it. Since then, we’ve built a firm-wide framework that moves beyond compliance, bringing together environmental and social priorities under four pillars: people, communities, planet, and clients.
Over time, sustainability has become embedded in our business strategy, supported by colleagues across both operational and legal teams. One of the most rewarding changes has been seeing people naturally consider sustainability in their daily decision-making without prompting. We’re also about to publish our climate transition plan, marking an important next step in our journey.
“Apave Climate School has been instrumental in bridging the gap between climate theory and practical business action.”
What have been the main challenges in rolling out your sustainability strategy, and how has Apave Climate School supported you on this journey?
Ariel: The biggest challenge has been making complex climate and sustainability issues feel relevant to people’s day-to-day roles, especially in a professional services environment where impacts can seem indirect.
Apave Climate School has been particularly instrumental because its bite-sized format fits our time-pressured law firm environment, making climate learning accessible and easy to integrate into existing training structures.
The breadth of content, from climate science through to business implications, helps bridge theory and practice. We’ve built on that foundation with role-specific internal workshops that combine e-learning and interactive sessions. Our main goal is to ensure colleagues understand why sustainability matters and, more concretely, what they can do about it in their specific role.
From learning to action
How have these workshops been received internally, and have they already translated into concrete action plans?
Ariel: The sessions have been very well received. Participants value connecting climate topics directly to their daily work, so these workshops encourage them to contribute ideas and identify practical solutions for their teams.
From six central service team sessions alone, we identified around 75 potential actions. These range from improving client engagement on their sustainability needs, to operational changes with clear environmental implications, such as better data management practices to reduce energy use in data storage. What’s been particularly valuable is seeing how teams connect these dots and collaborate across functions.
Our next step is now to prioritise and focus on the actions with the greatest impact.
“We’ve gone from having minimal structures in place to embedding sustainability into our business strategy.”
Ariel’s sustainability journey
On a more personal note, could you share your own path into sustainability?
Ariel: I often say I didn’t have much choice. I grew up in a family deeply involved in environmental issues. My mother is an environmental journalist, and my father works across climate, energy, and finance. That early exposure shaped a systems-thinking approach.
I initially studied physics, then engineering, and completed a PhD in offshore wind energy. Over time, I became increasingly interested in how climate issues translate into real-world business contexts.
Before joining Hill Dickinson, I worked with small businesses on sustainability, but I wanted to move from advising to implementation: understanding what it actually means to operate as a sustainable business. That’s what brought me here.
