Legal Aspects of Sustainable Finance

This 16-hour executive online course provides an in-depth overview of relevant developments in sustainable finance regulation, corporate governance and reporting frameworks in the UK, EU and beyond.

Overview

The Legal Aspects of Sustainable Finance executive course provides an in-depth analysis of legal developments in this cutting-edge regulatory and policy field.

The course provides a gateway for participants to explore further career opportunities at the intersection of sustainability, law and finance.

The course covers: (i) sustainable corporate governance in relation to directors’ duties, executive remuneration and shareholder engagement; (ii) sustainable corporate reporting, in relation to corporate disclosure obligations; and (iii) sustainable finance regulation, including disclosure obligations of investment intermediaries, fiduciary duties, market practices and regulation of financial markets and banks regarding sustainability and environmental/social risks.

The course zooms in on UK and EU regulations and policy developments, and includes comparisons to the US regime.

Aims

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explain EU and UK legal frameworks governing sustainable finance and corporate governance
• Critically analyse regulatory measures and policy options relating to sustainability
• Advise policymakers and regulators on costs and benefits of regulatory strategies
• Advise clients on navigating increasing regulatory obligations in sustainable finance
• Understand legal and economic factors enabling or constraining financial sector sustainability initiatives

Target audience

• Overseas or UK-based legal practitioners, in-house counsel, civil servants, regulators and policymakers working or aspiring to work in sustainable finance
• Professionals, scholars and students seeking solid grounding in UK and EU regulatory approaches
• Individuals upskilling in response to rapid regulatory and market developments

Course content

Topics

• Introduction and sustainable corporate governance (directors' duties, executive remuneration and shareholder engagement) (8 hours)
• Sustainable corporate and financial intermediary reporting and fiduciary duties (4 hours)
• Sustainable finance (the role of financial markets and banks and their regulation) (4 hours)

Teaching materials

• The participants will be given a slide deck and a reading list with a mix of articles and regulatory and legislative documents.

Academic staff

Course convenors

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  Dr Alperen A. Gözlügöl is an Assistant Professor of Law at the LSE Law School. His expertise and research interests span corporate law and governance, capital markets law and financial regulation. His research and teaching outlook is comparative and interdisciplinary in nature. His articles have been published in the leading European journals and US law reviews.

  Before joining the LSE in September 2023, Alperen was a postdoctoral researcher at the Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE and a junior fellow and an affiliated researcher at the Center for Advanced Studies on the Foundations of Law and Finance, Goethe University Frankfurt. He obtained his PhD (summa cum laude) from the University of Hamburg with a cumulative thesis on the law and economics of related party transactions and his LL.M. from the University of Cambridge (first-class honours with a prize-winning thesis). Previously, he read law at Bilkent University, Ankara.

• 

  Dr Simon Witney is a practising lawyer who also teaches on the LLM programme at LSE. His doctoral thesis, completed at LSE in 2017, was on corporate governance in private equity-backed companies. Simon continues to research and write on corporate governance, company law and related topics.

  Simon is also a Senior Consultant at London-based law firm, Travers Smith.

  Simon has previously served in senior positions within the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA), including as Chair of its Legal and Accounting Committee and as a member of its Council. He is also a past Chair of Invest Europe’s Tax, Legal and Regulatory Committee.

Professional services staff

Course manager

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  Amanda Tinnams is the Short Course Manager at LSE Law School, bringing over two decades of experience managing short course programs. Amanda has successfully overseen courses offered on-campus, online and internationally. She is committed to creating impactful learning experiences that combine academic excellence with practical application, supporting professionals and organisations worldwide.

Course schedule and FAQs