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    1. Home
    2. Biodiversity Essay Competition
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    Closing soon

    According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, climate change is a threat to human wellbeing and the health of the planet.

    Hot on the heels of “net zero” pledges by Governments across the globe, the emergence of a new green economy has become a hot topic for all businesses and organisations. In order to meet the climate goals agreed in Paris and affirmed at COP26 in Glasgow last year; the race to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, greenhouse gas emissions has become a priority for many of our clients.

    However, reducing the effects of climate change will not come from simply reducing GHG emissions. Protecting, expanding and enhancing our natural environment will all be essential if we are to reverse the effects of climate change, and will remain a focus long after GHG emissions have been cut.

    Gowling WLG is involved with many projects with biodiversity protection and improvement of the natural environment at their heart. In addition we are proud to be the legal sponsor for the Commonwealth Games being held in Birmingham this Summer - the Games Organising Committee has made 7 pledges to leave a lasting legacy, including the creation of 2000+ acres of forest.

    We know a lot about the legal issues associated with biodiversity, but we want to hear your thoughts too, so we are very excited to launch an essay competition. We want to hear your ideas responding to the question “How can lawyers assist their clients to enhance biodiversity?”

    The essay that captures our imagination the most will win a week’s paid internship (with accommodation) in our London office working with our team of Environment and Sustainability lawyers.

    You can apply if you’re:

    • Studying at University; or

    • A recent graduate. It doesn’t matter if you have a law, or non-law background.

      During your week’s internship, you’ll meet clients, undertake research, draft advice and work closely with us in order to find out what it’s
      like advising clients on cutting edge climate change and sustainable business and development issues. You’ll gain a great understanding of what life as an sustainability lawyer is like.

      We also intend to host an Open Day for runners up. We’ll invite you to our London office to spend a day listening to talks from a range of lawyers who advise our clients on climate and sustainability projects; and you’ll meet some of our trainee solicitors and hear from our Graduate Development team.

      We are imposing a word limit of 500 words, and the deadline for entries is 5pm on Friday 9 September 2022. Please submit your entries in to Biodiversity.Essay@gowlingwlg.com

      We would like to receive your essays in .pdf format and when submitting your entry, please don’t forget to include your name, where you’re studying (or studied) and what subject. Please also include all footnotes and references, and don’t worry – those don’t count towards the word limit.

      If you have any questions about the competition, please contact Biodiversity.Essay@gowlingwlg.com