On August 5, 2024, the American Bar Association’s (ABA’s) House of Delegates (HOD) overwhelmingly approved Resolution 513, which reaffirms its longstanding support for sustainable development and emphasizes the importance of incorporating sustainability into the practice of law. This resolution is the fourth resolution focused on sustainable development that the HOD has adopted since 1991. The resolution and accompanying report are here.

Four Clauses

The resolution has four clauses. The first clause reaffirms the prior (2013) resolution, which “urges all governments, lawyers, and ABA entities to act in ways that accelerate progress toward sustainability.”

The second clause supports implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 2015. These nonbinding goals break the sustainable development effort into 17 nonbinding goals to be achieved in each country between 2015 and 2030.

Resolution 513’s third clause “urges lawyers to learn about sustainable development, and to counsel their clients on related risks and opportunities.”

The fourth and final clause commits the ABA to providing resources to “assist lawyers to incorporate sustainable development into their practice and pro bono activities.”

The resolution responds to the rapid growth of client and lawyer interest in sustainable development issues, and attendant challenges, in the past decade. The SDGs are also a growing feature in the practice of law.

A Team Effort

Developing this resolution and getting it passed was a team effort. Nearly two dozen lawyers from across the ABA participated in drafting it. The resolution was co-sponsored or supported by seven different ABA entities. Seth Davis (left side of photo) of ABA’s Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) moved the adoption of the resolution. Pam Barker (right) also supported the resolution on behalf of SEER. Both are members of the HOD. Past SEER chair Jeff Dennis and new SEER chair Jonathan Nwagbaraocha provided invaluable support and advice throughout the process. It was my privilege, as a guest, to present the resolution to the HOD. For a recording of our presentation and the decision, see this.