Law Firms Find Going 'Green' is Easy, and a Client-Pleaser
From sending rejection letters by e-mail instead of regular mail to eliminating bottled water and investigating alternative energy sources, a growing number of law firms throughout New Jersey are increasingly focused on “green” alternatives to traditional practices that waste resources.
Doing so not only cuts costs over time but is a selling point with clients and potential law school hires, reports the Newark Star-Ledger. For attorneys in some energy-related practice areas, too, having a green office helps demonstrate their familiarity and dedication concerning the laws on which they are advising clients.
There are many areas in which conservation is possible, law firms are finding. Among them, eliminating paper—or using both sides—is a common focus. In New Jersey, court rules have been changed to allow the use of recycled paper, as well as briefs written on both sides of each page submitted.
“It doesn’t cost anything and may well save money,” Washington, D.C., attorney Jonathan Martel, whose has been active in his own firm’s conservation efforts, tells the newspaper. “It’s low-hanging fruit. There is no downside.”
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Curtailing the Paper Chase: ‘Green’ Law Firms Cut Paper Waste”
ABAJournal: “Leaning Green”
Legal Times (PDF): “How One Law Firm Went Green”
San Francisco Business Times: “Law firm puts its green idea in black and white”
