North East law firm Womble Bond Dickinson has been recognised for its commitment to the ESG agenda after winning two awards at the inaugural The Legal 500 ESG Awards.

The awards celebrate the best Environmental, Social, and Governance initiatives across the UK legal market – private practice, in-house and the Bar. The event was held in London and saw organisations and individuals recognised for their efforts to bring about change across all aspects of ESG, including diversity and inclusion and environmental and sustainability strategy.

WBD's winners were planning partner Jon Bower, who won Environmental/Sustainability: Private Practice Champion, and Senior Responsible Business Manager Charlotte von Sicard, who was named ESG Rising Star, which recognises individuals in the industry who are contributing across various areas of ESG.

Jon is Partner Lead for Net Zero and the driving force behind environmental change across the business. Since taking on this role, WBD - one of the key partners in The Northern Echo's Level Up campaign for investment and jobs – has reduced its measured emissions by more than 50%. As well as setting the strategy and direction for the firm's target to achieve net zero by 2030, Jon has advised clients on their own net zero projects for more than 20 years.

Be the first to know with The Northern Echo and take advantage of our exclusive offer by CLICKING HERE. £5 for 5 months or 40% off your annual cost.

As Senior Responsible Business Manager, Charlotte has transformed sustainability practices, from the creation of an internal governance structure to improving WBD's Sustainability Rating – putting the firm in the top two per cent of companies reporting globally.

Sally Dallow, the firm’s partner lead for responsible business, said: “We're extremely proud to be recognised as a firm leading the way in ESG strategy. Womble Bond Dickinson is committed to creating better places to live, work and do business and we're delighted to be presented with these awards. This latest success is testament to the work Charlotte and Jon are doing to build sustainable practices within WBD. These awards are the result of a lot of hard work, and I'd like to personally thank them and our teams for the amazing work they do."