Paul Davies is Global Co-Chair of Latham’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Practice and a member of Latham & Watkins’ Sustainability Committee. 

He advises clients on a range of ESG and environmental, health & safety (EHS) matters, in the context of transactional work, the management of risks and opportunities, and regulatory and litigation matters.

Paul is a member of the Board of Directors of Environmental Law Institute (ELI). He is “internationally regarded” for his “outstanding” work, which has “played a pivotal role in the industry” – Who’s Who Legal 2016, Environment.

In 2024, The Legal 500 recognized Paul with the ESG Lifetime Achievement Award: Sustainability at its inaugural UK ESG Awards. In 2023, he was recognized in Financial News’ Fifty Most Influential in Sustainable Finance list and the only lawyer to be recognized two years running. Paul was also recognized in Real Deals ’ Future 40 ESG 2023 listing. He was shortlisted for ESG Due Diligence and ESG Lawyer at the Real Deals ESG Awards 2022. The awards recognize and celebrate authentic ESG change in private equity.

Further, Paul was named among Europe’s Top 10 Innovative Individuals for being “at the forefront for environmental law in Europe and Asia” and actively collaborating with environmental consultancies to “promote knowledge sharing” and to develop innovative products – FT Innovative Lawyers Report 2019.

Paul’s representative experience includes advising:

  • Private equity funds on all aspects of ESG requirements, including the incorporation of ESG guidelines, the development of ESG processes in respect of diligence on all potential acquisitions and ESG reviews of newly acquired companies
  • Global financial institutions on a range of ESG issues, particularly in connection with complaints made under the OECD Multinational Guidelines, issues under the Basel and Marpol Conventions, and lender liability concerns
  • Global manufacturers in relation to the application of human rights laws and principles and other ESG-related laws and principles, in review of company supply chains and business models
  • Global organizations on ground-breaking and complex ESG and climate change litigation matters
  • On the development of significant innovations in and adjacent to the legal market, including: (i) the development of a desktop soil and groundwater report that is now standard across all UK leading law firms; (ii) the development of a liability buy-out solution in conjunction with a major environmental consultancy; (iii) the development of CIBDEG (as discussed above); and (iv) the development of RiskHorizon, an ESG risk-screening tool

Bar Qualification

  • England and Wales (Solicitor)

Education

  • M.Phil. (Journal of Law and Society Scholarship), University of Wales, Cardiff, 1994
  • LL.B. (Hons), University of Wales, Cardiff, 1992

Languages Spoken

  • English