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Press Release

Latham Releases Newest Edition in Popular Book of Jargon® Series – Environmental, Social & Governance

May 26, 2020
Must-have mobile and desktop reference tool defines more than 1,000 industry terms.

Latham & Watkins LLP is pleased to announce the launch of its Book of Jargon® – Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG), a comprehensive digital glossary of more than 1,000 ESG terms, developed for the business, academic, and legal communities. This Book of Jargon is being presented with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a global, CEO-led organization seeking to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world by making sustainable business more successful. Latham joined WBCSD in February 2020.   

From “afforestation” to “zero waste,” The Book of Jargon® – Environmental, Social & Governance is an easy-to-use reference tool that helps demystify ESG terminology, verbiage, and lingo. It is designed to be an engaging and user-friendly resource. 

“ESG issues span disciplines and industries,” said Paul Davies, Global Co-Chair of Latham’s Sustainability Committee. “Helping assess risks and evaluate opportunities in the ESG sphere requires a shared vocabulary. We developed this tool to help deepen conversations, enhance connections across sectors, and encourage and implement business-focused solutions.”  

“The challenges we’re seeing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are unprecedented in scale and scope, and touch on nearly every area of ESG. We harnessed our deep experience to produce clear explanations that we hope will prove useful as lawyers, academics, and business leaders navigate and work together in this new world,” said Janice Schneider, Global Chair of Latham’s Environment, Land & Resources Department. 

Lawyers from across Latham’s departments collaborated to compile more than 1,000 terms, including frequently used words, more arcane terms, as well as terms related to the pandemic, such as “flattening the curve” and “social distancing.” They crafted concise definitions to help readers understand a rapidly expanding, increasingly important subject area.  

The Book of Jargon® – Environmental, Social & Governance will only be available electronically: as an online web-based application/resource, and as a free mobile app on iTunes for Apple devices and on Google Play for Android devices. It can also be accessed on the firm’s website, including via the Environmental, Social & Governance Practice; Latham Sustainability; and the Environmental, Land & Resources Department.  

With the launch of The Book of Jargon® – Environmental, Social & Governance, Latham now offers 14 Books of Jargon®, providing a comprehensive A-Z library. Other topics include Emerging Companies, European Capital Markets and Bank Finance, Global M&A, Global Restructuring, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Hedge Funds, International Arbitration, Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs), Oil & Gas, Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB), Project Finance, and US Corporate and Bank Finance. Additional Latham reference tools include the Global Merger Regimes™, Global Anti-Bribery & Corruption Laws, and Latham OID Threshold Calculator™ apps.

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