LEGAL ESG: BENELUX

environmental social and governance

Shaping the Future of ESG and Law in Benelux

Legal ESG events around the world offer a unique platform for law firm leaders, general counsel, ESG experts, and legal professionals to exchange insights and help shape the ESG agenda in the legal sector.

We are happy to announce a new ESG event focused on Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, Legal ESG: Benelux, to be held on 24 September 2025, in The Hague (The Netherlands).

At Legal ESG: Benelux we will discuss key themes including regulatory change, political context, litigation, and the evolving role of legal professionals in the ESG space.

The conference will take place on Wednesday, 24 September 2025, and will be hosted by the Dutch law firm La Gro in The Hague.

We are currently shaping the programme and reaching out to potential speakers, panelists, and moderators. The preliminary list of topics includes (subject to refinement in close coordination with speakers):

• Global Shifts: Trump 2.0, Geopolitics, Risk & Regulation
• Landmark Cases: ESG in the Courtroom
• ESG in the Benelux: Regulatory Developments, Litigation Risks, and ESG & Transactions
• What Clients Want: ESG Challenges and Expectations Unpacked
• B Corp & Beyond: Rethinking Law Firm Values
• EU ESG Agenda: Omnibus & Draghi Insights
• The Rise of Impact Investing
• Biodiversity: The Legal Stakes of Nature Loss

Key Highlights

Global Shifts: Trump 2.0, Geopolitics, Risk & Regulation

Renowned energy and geopolitics expert Gerard Reid explores how global political and financial disruptions—from U.S. elections to energy crises—are reshaping ESG risks, regulation, and strategic decision-making.

Landmark Cases: ESG in the Courtroom

Litigation is increasingly shaping ESG practice. This session delves into influential court cases, shareholder activism, and how legal precedent is evolving across environmental and human rights issues.

ESG in the Benelux: Regulation, Litigation & Transactions

Legal experts from top firms dissect recent ESG-related regulatory shifts, litigation risks, and the growing role of sustainability in corporate transactions within the Benelux region

What Clients Want: ESG Challenges and Expectations Unpacked

Corporate counsel and legal scholars offer a client-side view into ESG priorities. Understand the real-world challenges businesses face—and what they expect from legal advisors.

B Corp & Beyond:  Rethinking Law Firm Values

Explore how B Corp certification and other values-driven frameworks are transforming law firm culture. Leaders share how they're aligning internal operations with broader ESG goals.

EU ESG Agenda: Omnibus & Draghi Insights

A pan-European panel analyzes key EU ESG initiatives—from the Omnibus Package to Draghi's industrial policy strategy—and their implications for law, business, and governance.

Biodiversity: The Legal Stakes of Nature Loss

Nature loss poses major legal, financial, and ethical risks. This session highlights how lawyers can engage with biodiversity as a growing ESG concern in regulation and strategy.

Ethics & the Rule of Law: The Legal Profession’s Responsibility

With increasing global scrutiny  how will lawyers hold a central role in upholding justice, integrity, and sustainable governance?

Our Speaking Faculty

Hear from leading minds advising on ESG progress throughout Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

Pamela Cone

ESG Lead

Inside Practice

Robert van Beemen

Partner

DRB Groep

Gerard Reid

Energy, Finance & Geopolitics; Making Sense of Disruption, Investor & Strategic Advisor

Jeroen Raskin

Partner / Corporate M&A

Monard Law

Loes van Dijk

Founder

Climate Court

EU Climate Pact Ambassador 

Sjoerd Kamerbeek

Managing Partner / Corporate Litigation,

Van Doorne

Director of the Chair for Social Entrepreneurship, Utrecht University

Helmer Schukken

Managing Partner

Rubio Impact Ventures

Michelle de Rijke

Partner

La Gro

Aukje Haan

Partner / Co-Head

CMS Commercial Group

Anna Duron

Senior Associate / EU Law

Ashurst [Brussels]

Pauline Kuipers

Partner / International Competition and EU Law Group

Bird & Bird

Irina Michkina

Senior Legal Counsel, Sustainability & Accessibility

Booking.com

Annelies van Tongeren

Senior Manager / Legal Business Solutions

PwC

Melchior Looijen

General Counsel & Head of Industry Affairs

Transavia

Boris Bekkering

Commercial Director

Regreener

No-Nonsense Climate Action

Dries Beljon

Co-Founder

LEAN LAWYERS | B-Corp

Renske Mackor

Director / Legal Sustainability and Research into Rights of Nature

PwC

Klaas Kuitenbrouwer

initiator at Zoöp, researcher

Het Nieuwe Instituut

Jan van de Venis

Ombudsperson for Future Generations

Lab Toekomstige Generaties

Tess van Soest

Executive Director

B Lab Benelux

Christiaan Alberdingk Thijm

Partner, Free Speech, Privacy, Reputation Management

Bureau Brandeis

Marisa Monteiro Borsboom

Legal Entrepreneur & General Counsel

Verae Law

Join the Conversation

Join us to discuss ESG and sustainability for Legal ESG Benelux, the key event shaping the future of ESG law. Hosted by La Gro, this conference will cover regulatory change, AI, talent, and more. 

Agenda

24 SEPTEMBER, 2025

8:00 AM - 8:45 AM

Registration / Breakfast

8:45 AM- 9:00 AM

Chairperson's Opening Remarks

CHAIRPERSON

Pamela Cone, ESG Lead, Inside Practice

Robert van Beemen, Partner, DRB Groep

9:00 AM - 9:45 AM / KEYNOTE SESSION

Global Shifts:

Trump 2.0, Geopolitics, Risk & Regulation

SPEAKER

Gerard Reid, Energy, Finance & Geopolitics, Making Sense of Disruption, Investor & Strategic Advisor

OVERVIEW

This keynote sets the scene by examining major global forces shaping the future of ESG. Renowned energy and geopolitics expert Gerard Reid discusses how shifting geopolitical tides and economic disruptions - from the “Trump 2.0” administration in the United States to Europe’s energy security challenges - are altering the risk landscape and prompting new regulatory responses.

How will these global shifts influence corporate ESG strategies, and what should legal advisors anticipate in an era of uncertainty and change?

9:45 AM – 10:30 AM / PANEL DISCUSSION

Landmark Cases:

ESG in the Courtroom / Shareholder Activism

SPEAKERS

Jeroen Raskin, Partner / Corporate M&A, Monard Law

Loes van Dijk, Founder, Climate Court; EU Climate Pact Ambassador 

OVERVIEW

As litigation increasingly shapes ESG practice, this session delves into the courtroom battles and boardroom pressures defining the field. Speakers will review influential cases-– from groundbreaking climate lawsuits to precedent-setting human rights claims-– and the rise of shareholder activism pushing companies toward stronger ESG commitments.

By examining how judges and regulators are responding, the discussion reveals how legal precedents are evolving across environmental and social issues. Participants will learn how these landmark cases and activist campaigns are reshaping corporate behavior and legal risk considerations.

10:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Networking AM Coffee Break

11:00 AM - 11:45 AM / FIRESIDE CHAT

Impact Investing

SPEAKERS

Sjoerd Kamerbeek, Managing Partner, Van Doorne, Director of the Chair for Social Entrepreneurship, Utrecht University

Helmer Schukken, Managing Partner, Rubio Impact Ventures

OVERVIEW

This fireside chat explores the power and pitfalls of marrying profit with purpose. Sjoerd Kamerbeek and Helmer Schukken engage in a candid conversation about the rise of impact investing and what it means for both investors and legal advisors.

They will discuss the growth of purpose-driven capital, new regulatory frameworks like the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and the challenges of measuring social and environmental returns. The conversation will highlight how aligning financial performance with positive societal impact is changing expectations for business and the practice of law.

11:45 AM - 12:15 PM / KEYNOTE SESSION

ESG in the Energy Transition

SPEAKER

Michelle de Rijke, Partner, La Gro

OVERVIEW

As the world accelerates toward a low-carbon future, the energy sector faces mounting ESG pressures from regulators, investors, and society. This session explores how ESG considerations are reshaping investment flows, corporate strategies, and legal frameworks across the energy transition. Participants will gain insights into the evolving role of ESG in driving both risk management and opportunity in a rapidly changing energy landscape.

12:15 PM - 1:00 PM

Networking Lunch

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM / PANEL DISCUSSION

ESG in Transition:

Regional and EU Legal Perspectives 

SPEAKERS

Aukje Haan, Partner / Co-Head, CMS Commercial Group

Anna Duron, Senior Associate / EU Law, Ashurst (Brussels)

Pauline Kuipers, Partner / International Competition and EU Law Group, Bird & Bird

OVERVIEW

This session brings together experts to explore how ESG is reshaping law and business across Europe. From Benelux-specific implementation of EU sustainability directives and rising litigation risks to the EU’s Omnibus package and Mario Draghi’s industrial strategy vision, panelists will examine how regulation, compliance, and governance are evolving. Attendees will gain practical insights into the challenges and opportunities as ESG becomes central to corporate decision-making.

2:00 PM - 2:45 PM / PANEL DISCUSSION

What Clients Want: 

ESG Challenges and Expectations Unpacked

SPEAKERS

Irina Michkina, Senior Legal Counsel, Sustainability & Accessibility, Booking.com

Annelies van Tongeren, Senior Manager, Legal Business Solutions, PwC

Melchior Looijen, General Counsel & Head of Industry Affairs, Transavia

OVERVIEW

What are clients really seeking from their legal partners when it comes to ESG?

In this session, a panel of in-house counsel and experts provides a client-side perspective on pressing ESG challenges. They will unpack how businesses grapple with new compliance obligations, stakeholder pressures for transparency, and the quest for genuine social impact-– and what they expect from law firms in response. From efficient regulatory guidance to proactive risk management and strategic advice, attendees will learn how to better align legal services with evolving client ESG expectations.

2:45 PM - 3:30 PM / PANEL DISCUSSION

B Corp & Beyond: 

Rethinking Law Firm Values

SPEAKERS

Boris Bekkering, Commercial Director, Regreener

Sjoerd Kamerbeek, Managing Partner, Van Doorne, Director of the Chair for Social Entrepreneurship, Utrecht University

Dries Beljon, Co-Founder, LEAN LAWYERS | B-Corp

OVERVIEW

B Corp certification and similar values-driven frameworks are prompting law firms to rethink their purpose and culture. This session examines how firms are striving to meet high social and environmental standards in their own operations, not just in client work.

Leaders will share how initiatives like seeking B Corp status, enhancing diversity and inclusion, reducing carbon footprints, and expanding pro bono commitments are transforming their organizations. By aligning internal practices with ESG principles, law firms aim to boost credibility, fulfill stakeholder expectations, and inspire a new generation of purpose-driven legal professionals.

3:30 PM - 3:45 PM

Networking PM Coffee Break

3:45 PM - 5:00 PM  / PRESENTATION

BioDiversity:

The Legal Stakes of Nature Loss

SPEAKER

Renske Mackor, Director / Legal Sustainability and Research into Rights of Nature, PwC

Klaas Kuitenbrouwer, initiator at Zoöp, researcher, Het Nieuwe Instituut

Jan van de Venis, Ombudsperson for Future Generations, Lab Toekomstige Generaties

Tess van Soest, Executive Director, B Lab Benelux

OVERVIEW

Biodiversity loss is emerging as the next frontier in ESG and law. This session highlights why declining ecosystems present not only ethical and environmental concerns but also tangible legal and financial risks for companies. Experts will discuss evolving regulations and standards aimed at protecting nature-– from European biodiversity directives to innovative concepts like granting legal rights to rivers and forests.

Attendees will learn how lawyers can help clients navigate new compliance requirements, anticipate litigation related to ecosystem damage, and incorporate biodiversity considerations into corporate strategy and risk management.

5:00 PM - 5:30 PM / CLOSING KEYNOTE

Ethics, the Rule of Law, and the Role of the Legal Profession in ESG

SPEAKERS

Christiaan Alberdingk Thijm, Partner, Free Speech, Privacy, Reputation Management, Bureau Brandeis

OVERVIEW

The legal profession holds a central and profound role in shaping a just, equitable, and sustainable society. Legal professionals are entrusted not only with upholding the law but also with the ethical responsibility to ensure that the law—and its application—serves the greater good. 

Today, the profession stands at a critical crossroads. In the face of mounting global challenges—including rising corruption, erosion of ethical standards, and increasing threats to the rule of law—lawyers must act with agency and urgency. Whether through litigation, policy reform, public advocacy, or strategic client advice, legal professionals have both the opportunity and the obligation to influence change and uphold legal and institutional integrity.

5:30 PM

Chairperson’s Closing Remarks

CHAIRPERSON

Pamela Cone, ESG Lead, Inside Practice

Robert van Beemen, Partner, DRB Groep

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Networking Reception

Team Rates: Group/Team, Student/Academic, vendor, and consultant rates available on request

Contact:  Have questions or need assistance with the registration process, please contact us: contact@insidepractice.com