Environmental issues are becoming worse and worse. More than ever, the world is witnessing the brutality of environmental irresponsibility and the catastrophic repercussions of climate change, from coastal erosion to smoggy skies and disappearing forests.
Corinne Lepage, a doctor of law, has developed a consultancy business that encompasses strategy and litigation due to her experience and kept up with the major energy, environmental health, and environmental files. She collaborates with large and small, French and international, public and non-profit organizations.
In addition, Corinne oversees significant environmental, natural, and industrial disaster cases. She is one of the experts on these subjects in Europe. She co-founded the Huglo Lepage Avocats law firm in 1978 with Christian Huglo and held a number of official positions, including Secretary of the bar council (1987–1990), Minister of the environment (1995–1997), Deputy mayor, then First deputy mayor of Cabourg (1989–2001), and European deputy (2009–2014). She holds talks a large corporations on how environmental and climatic issues have evolved in relation to commercial concerns.
The first French public law firm founded by litigation lawyers was Huglo Lepage Avocats. The firm still provides advice to public authorities and organizations today, and the majority of its litigation work is done in the area of public law, particularly public business law. One of the firm’s most popular lawsuits was the Amoco Cadiz case, which was brought before American courts in 1978. Numerous Environmental law disputes have been handled by the attorneys at Huglo Lepage Avocats, notably the defense of Dutch public authorities in relation to Rhine pollution and German authorities in relation to French nuclear power stations. The firm now splits its time between counseling businesses and municipal governments and litigation, continuing to develop new fields of law, particularly those pertaining to climate justice and environmental health.
Making the difference in Competition
Corinne and her team are adapting to changes by having a transversal perspective which spans not only the various legal disciplines but also many other sectors that are remote from the legal one, particularly scientific and medical expertise. Huglo Lepage Avocats has valued greatly reflection and theory from the beginning and has always seen the need for legal innovation.
Furthermore, a unique image is created by the ethics and decision to protect the environment as broadly as possible, by incorporating the efforts made by businesses to transform themselves, and by refusing to offer advice to persistent polluters. This explains why the company is now focusing on CSR, ESG, and taxonomy in order to support businesses and a limited group of financial players. Huglo Lepage is responsible for the development of several significant environmental law precedents, and its innovative spirit is still at work today. Additionally, it is able to provide services that are both operational and creative in the consulting industry thanks to its unique experience and its work with non-legal talents.
Holding a Firm Stance
As a partner and the company’s founder, Corinne is primarily responsible for the continuity of the business, case generation, and customer satisfaction. She also coordinates publications, webinars, seminars, and other events that the company attends and participates in. She believes that running a business is not easy, and it is even more difficult now as there are significant changes in how work is organized and what customers and staff want. The most crucial factors are having a project, knowing how to stick to it, being practical, and leading a team because it can only get better as a whole. Responsibility, competency, intellectual capacities, ethics, and a concern for the greater good are the traits she searches for. She first conducts collective recruitment when adding a new team member. She makes sure to introduce the new employee to all of her coworkers and have a conversation with them so that there is a chance for true integration.
Corinne adds, “The happiest part of my daily life is human contact, whether with my clients or my colleagues.”
Preserving Innovation and Integrity
The heart of the Huglo Lepage Avocats program is, in fact, a culture of integrity and innovation. It is the first law practice with a strong mission and a foundation based on ethics and the environment. With a high level of doctrinal activity, including the publication of several publications, the organization of webinars on current legal topics, and code commentary, Corinne and her team place a high value on training both in-house and publicly. Competence, responsiveness, and the persistent willingness to use the law to advance environmental progress and the profound transformation that they are currently going through are the core ideals.
In a world where innovation is ongoing and accomplishments are occasionally validated and occasionally fleeting, it is challenging to keep going and grow. The ability to combine several legal disciplines with the development of science and knowledge, as well as the capacity to foresee and provide services that are occasionally above the needs of the clients, appears to Corinne to be what matters the most. She puts up a lot of effort on social media, publishes frequently in periodicals, hosts webinars, and takes part in academic and entrepreneurial colloquia and conferences.
Tech Advancements in the Legal Profession
The loss of a particular ethic, of certain courtesies and correctness among lawyers, are the most important change Corinne has observed in law firms and legal departments. When it comes to assuring the defense and advancing justice, the competitive nature of this profession does not appear appropriate, and occasionally all blows are permitted. Corinne believes that the urge to support some challenging causes is frequently put aside by concerns about money and profitability. The way she and her team operate has been radically altered by technology. Nowadays, lawyers mostly concentrate on digital legal material and barely ever access printed books.
Although this process is undoubtedly quicker than in the past, Corinne notes that when searching for a court ruling in a book, one typically discovers answers to cases that are still pending. Due to digitalization, this is now much less common.
On the other hand, this can result in a certain amount of intellectual sloth and confine legal innovation and research to a precedent-based culture that does not entirely follow the Latin legacy. Corinne feels that in a world where the metaverse will change our professions, invention, the ability to synthesize, and creation remain the key traits that will ensure that humans continue to add value to society beyond interpersonal relationships.
Futuristic View
Corinne has big plans for Huglo Lepage Avocats’ future, plans that go far beyond the firm’s founders. They currently have a highly skilled and diverse team that can meet the needs of all social actors, from small and large businesses to local governments and associations. At the European level, they already provide advice to several multinational corporations, local governments, and foreign nations.
Their work in the areas of health and climate justice has given them the opportunity to network and collaborate with their peers on a global scale. This collaboration takes place specifically within the framework of a group Corinne founded called “Pesticide Justice,” which posts all of the decisions made on pesticides. A global network of attorneys has been established, and they are striving to make a big change by first minimizing the use of pesticides and later completely eradicating them from the world.
Quote: “The happiest part of my daily life is human contact, whether with my clients or my colleagues.”
Written by Steve Sanchez.
