Paul Davies is a partner in the London office of Latham & Watkins and is Co-Chair of the firm’s ESG Taskforce and a member of the Latham’s Sustainability Committee. Mr. Davies is also a member of the firm’s Environment, Land & Resources (ELR) Department and Local Department Chair for the ELR Europe and Asia group.
Mr. Davies has experience in the following areas:
- Environmental, social, and governance (ESG)
- Environmental health and safety
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Real estate
- Project finance
- Litigation and dispute resolution
Mr. Davies is a member of the Board of Directors of Environmental Law Institute (ELI).
He is “internationally regarded” for his “outstanding” work, which has “played a pivotal role in the industry,” recognized as a Thought Leader for Environment by Who’s Who Legal:Thought Leaders – Global Elite 2017-2020, and was the only European lawyer named for the distinction from 2011 to 2017. He is also a Recommended Global Leader for Environment by Who’s Who Legal 2019. He is described by clients in The Legal 500 UK 2021 as “a leading partner at LW’s environment practice group, is always proactive with his insight in regulatory challenges faced by global companies. Because of his top-notch expertise, he is respected by both global businesses and regulators in multiple countries. In emerging markets such as China, the environmental regulators treat him as a world-class authority on enforcement, permitting, and green finance issues. That trust makes him an invaluable source for global businesses to engage with China on both strategic and project levels.”
Mr. Davies was named among Europe’s Top 10 Innovative Individuals for being “at the forefront for environmental law in Europe and Asia” and actively collaborating with environmental consultancies to “promote knowledge sharing” and to develop innovative products by FT Innovative Lawyers Report 2019.
Mr. Davies’ representative transactions include advising:
- A large global private equity fund on all aspects of its ESG requirements, including the incorporation of ESG guidelines, the development of ESG processes in respect of diligence on all potential acquisitions and ESG reviews of newly acquired companies
- Global financial institutions on a range of ESG issues, particularly in connection with complaints made under the OECD Multinational Guidelines, issues under the Basel and Marpol Conventions and lender liability concerns
- A large global manufacturer in relation to the application of human rights laws and principles and other ESG-related laws and principles, in a review of the company’s supply chain and business model
- The development of significant innovations in and adjacent to the legal market, including: (i) the development of a desktop soil and groundwater report that is now standard across all UK leading law firms; (ii) the development of a liability buy-out solution in conjunction with a major environmental consultancy; (iii) the development of CIBDEG (as discussed below); and (iv) the development of RiskHorizon, an ESG risk-screening tool
- On the setting up of the China International Business Dialogue on Environmental Governance (CIBDEG) designed to create a dialogue between multinational businesses and Chinese regulatory authorities regarding best practices in government and industry in the area of environmental regulation, as well as the forward movement of environmental policy and regulation in China
- The Great Britain China Centre in relation to developing an ESG legal framework within a broader rule of law programme
- A global real estate investment group in relation to sustainability regulations, compliance, and benchmarking across its European real estate portfolio that comprises in excess of 11 million square foot of commercial space