CHICAGO (December 14, 2023) – Neal Gerber Eisenberg (NGE) is proud to announce that it has achieved a platinum rating from the All Legal Industry Sustainability Standard (ALISS) assessment. NGE is one of just four firms globally to receive this top rating from ALISS, which assesses sustainability and ESG efforts in the legal industry.
“NGE has had a longstanding focus on developing ambitious and measurable programs that reduce our carbon footprint, and we’re continually seeking to raise our sustainability standards,” said Sonia Menon, Chief Operating Officer for NGE and chair of the firm’s Sustainability Committee. “We were one of the first firms to participate in the ALISS assessment when it first launched in 2015 and are honored to achieve their highest rating this year. ALISS allows us to take measurable stock of our efforts, to benchmark our growth and to identify opportunities to further advance our ESG goals.”
Previously known as the American Legal Industry Sustainability Standard, in 2023 the assessment was expanded to include firms around the globe and legal departments outside of private practice firms. ALISS also now partners with ESG-focused company Vorgate to help organizations gain strategic insight and intelligently advance ESG integration.
The ALISS rating system ranks firms for their sustainability efforts across five broad categories: Internal Stakeholder Engagement, Measuring & Reporting, External Sustainability, Internal Sustainability, and Innovation.
Progress made by NGE in these areas includes:
- Purchasing 100 percent of the firm’s energy needs from green power sources, with 750,000 kilowatt-hours of the firm’s annual energy needs coming from 100 percent wind renewable energy credits.
- Further reducing Scope 2 emissions stemming from our energy consumption by 74,500 kilowatt-hours per year by removing 200 office printers, 11 fax machines and 8 vending machines from circulation.
- Collecting and diverting 450 pounds of plastic bags and soft plastics from landfills, as well as diverting 15,000 pounds of waste from landfills to compost.
- Transitioning to digital business cards, reducing the firm’s carbon footprint, energy expended in producing paper business cards, and waste that accompanies the use of traditional business cards.
"NGE is a values-driven firm, and sustainability is integral to our culture and a core component of our overall corporate social responsibility program," said Bobby Gerber, NGE's Managing Partner. "Our sustainability efforts inform virtually every aspect of our firm’s operations – from how we manage our office space and our teams to how we engage with our communities – and it’s immensely gratifying to be recognized by ALISS for the work we do in this area."
The firm is active in several sustainability initiatives in the legal industry and was among the first to join the EPA and American Bar Association’s Climate Challenge, conforming to requirements of paper use, waste management, and energy conservation under the EPA’s Energy Star Program. Click here to see NGE’s 2023 Corporate Social Responsibility report, which includes more information on the full scope of NGE’s sustainability, community, pro bono and DE&I initiatives.
About NGE
Neal Gerber Eisenberg is a leading law firm dedicated to handling sophisticated matters for entrepreneurs, public companies, and private businesses and their owners. More than one-third of the lawyers at Neal Gerber Eisenberg are recognized in the most recent Best Lawyers in America listing and represent scores of the Fortune 100 and many of the best-known private companies. The firm is also a trusted advisor to startups, growth companies and entrepreneurs. The firm has built over thirty years of trusted partnerships with clients that span the globe, and we meet each unique client need with the same personalized service and collaboration that provide the most practical solutions for every matter.