Stanford Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy Initiative is partnering with the law firms in the Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy Initiative to provide several webinar series on tax opportunities under the Inflation Reduction Act.

The first series will be three webinars focused on Tax Opportunities for Tribes in the Inflation Reduction Act:

1. Overview Webinar – Inflation Reduction Act: Tax Opportunities for Tribes – August 3
   • Recording
   • Powerpoint Presentation
2. Deep Dive – Inflation Reduction Act: Direct Pay for Tribes – August 28
   1. Recording
   2. Powerpoint Presentation
3. Deep Dive – Inflation Reduction Act: Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and Production Tax Credit (PTC) for Tribes  – September 25

The webinars will feature presentations and live Q&A by tax partners, Tribal law experts, and policy experts at Holland & Knight in Washington, D.C., with a keynote in the overview seminar by PaaWee Rivera, Senior Advisor and Director of Tribal Affairs, White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, a keynote in the Direct Pay webinar by Wahleah Johns, Director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs.  Those who still need additional help to take advantage of the IRA can apply for direct pro bono legal assistance through the Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy Initiative.

The second series will be focused on Tax Opportunities for Early Stage Entrepreneurs in the Inflation Reduction Act. The first webinar will feature presentations and live Q&A by tax partners and energy experts at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, with a keynote by Karen Skelton, Senior Advisor, Office of the Secretary of Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy. This webinar will focus on :

• Direct Pay and Transferability – IRA for Early Stage Entrepreneurs (Wednesday, September 27)

Entrepreneurial and community-based efforts to advance sustainability are surging within the United States, but these efforts are often slowed by limited access to top-flight legal services. Even obtaining legal help on first-order matters associated with formation and incorporation can present hurdles for entrepreneurs. Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy provides an easier way for entrepreneurs and environmental non-profits working on sustainability projects to find firms that are offering pro bono help on these types of important matters. The Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy Initiative was incubated to facilitate this match.

The LSE initiative was announced at the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco and dedicated to the memory of Nancy McFadden, former Chief of Staff to Governor Jerry Brown. Karen Skelton, David J. Hayes and Ali Zaidi worked with Governor Brown, Attorney General Xavier Becerra, and Stanford Law School and Stanford’s Precourt Institute for Energy to launch the Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy initiative.  Stanford Law School will continue to provide periodic updates on the matters member firms are taking on as part of their commitment under the initiative.

The types of legal services that firms participating in Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy may be able to provide include: support with incorporation, corporate governance (e.g., bylaws, policies), contracts, real estate, IP protection, website-related issues (e.g., privacy policies, terms of use), structuring advice for financing and investment, tax advice, and litigation.

Law Firms

The firms have pledged the amounts below in free legal services for on-going and new sustainability matters in 2022:

• Akin Gump  ($250,000)
• Arnold & Porter* ($2 million)
• Beveridge & Diamond ($250,000)
• Cooley* ($1 million)
• Debevoise & Plimpton ($1 million)
• Fenwick ($250,000)
• Hogan Lovells* ($250,000)
• Holland & Knight* ($1 million)
• Latham & Watkins* ($1 million)
• Michelman & Robinson ($250,000)
• Morgan Lewis ($250,000)
• Morrison & Foerster* ($3 million)
• Nixon Peabody ($1 million)
• Orrick ($2 million)
• Ropes & Gray ($1 million)
• Seyfarth Shaw ($350,000)
• Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati* ($2 million)

*Lead founder of the LSE Initiative

Corporate Partners

The initiative is truly a collaborative one, with the private sector and NGOs like Grist working with law firms to support connections between law firms and pro bono recipients. For example, Microsoft helped to connect grantees from its AI for Earth program – a five-year, $50 million initiative that supports and partners with environmental groups, academic researchers, and start-ups – with the initiative for legal support.  Pro bono lawyers from additional companies, including Goldman Sachs, have also volunteered to assist LSE firms.

Companies participating in the Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy are making a commitment to assist the initiative in a number of ways, including by: (1) enabling company in-house lawyers to provide pro bono assistance to clients directly, or in coordination with outside LSE-member law firms, on company time; (2) encouraging outside law firms and other companies to participate in the LSE initiative; and (3) using their community outreach activities to identify potential clients who may qualify for, and benefit from, pro bono services provided through the LSE network.

View Advisory Council