The unprecedented availability of federal stimulus money, particularly in the realm of green energy and efficiency, could be a tremendous opportunity if one knows how to gain access. The State of Ohio recently launched www.recovery.ohio.gov, to serve as Ohio’s interactive headquarters for all information regarding the federal stimulus package (aka the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or “ARRA”). Similarly, the United States Green Building Council created its own compilation of Green Economic Recovery Resources (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1962).
Through LNL’s membership in Meritas, an international affiliation of independent law firms, we offer access to additional resources such as a fantastic synopsis of the ARRA, prepared by our Chicago affiliate Goldberg Kohn (http://www.goldbergkohn.com/news-alerts-134.html). Talk to David Scott, or your own personal LNL attorney, about how your business can get a little stimulation for itself…
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Mar 13, 2009
Self-Stimulation: What does the federal stimulus bill mean to me?
Mar 9, 2009
Meritas Green Guide Still Resonating
It’s been almost a year since LNL shareholder David Scott chaired the “Leadership Institute” of the Meritas international affiliation of law firms and helped create the Green Guide for sustainable law office practices. Yet still today the Green Guide is generating attention, this time in the March 2009 issue of California Lawyer. David’s fellow Leadership Institute member Caroline Mankey, with Meritas’ affiliate in Los Angeles, is quoted in the article:
How Green is your Firm?
By Rene Ciria-Cruz
The typical lawyer uses up to 100,000 sheets of paper in a year—creating 4.5 tons of carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse-gas emissions, according to Arnold & Porter, a Washington, D.C., law firm.
To help law firms reduce this kind of waste and boost energy efficiency, California attorney Caroline Mankey has coauthored the Green Guide for Lawyers. Published last year by the Meritas Leadership Institute, Mankey's guide offers a plan that progresses from simple conservation tips to more ambitious ways to slash energy consumption.
What's in it for law firms? Increasingly, clients are "looking for environmentally responsible law firms," says Mankey, a partner at Los Angeles's Glaser, Weil, Fink, Jacobs & Shapiro. Plus, firms that follow the guide can reduce over-head. Here are excerpts from its three levels of going green.
Sustainability Advocate
- uses motion-sensitive lighting
- provides reusable drinking mugs instead of disposable cups
- sets up carpools and offers pre-tax subsidies for transit users
Sustainability Partner
- uses mostly Energy Star—certified equipment
- pledges pro bono hours to environmental groups
- launches professional energy-efficiency audits of firm offices
Sustainability Leader
- locates offices in a building certified in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program
- tracks energy and materials usage, pledging to reduce such usage by 10 percent annually
- offers socially responsible investment options for employee retirement plans
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Jan 26, 2009
LEED, follow, or …
LNL’s own David Scott has joined the small group of attorneys in Ohio who have earned the “LEED® Accredited Professional” designation. LEED® AP’s are professionals (primarily in the building & construction industry) who have demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building and the United States Green Building Council’s LEED® Green Building Rating System™. According to the USGBC, the LEED AP credential indicates that the professional has the knowledge and skills to facilitate the LEED certification process.
David is believed to be the first and only LEED® AP in Ohio who is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates’ Forum, comprised of litigators who have achieved a settlement or verdict in excess of one million dollars. Combined with David’s experience in construction and general business/commercial litigation, his knowledge of the LEED® Green Building Rating System™ makes him uniquely qualified to handle the prosecution or defense of green construction disputes.
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Nov 13, 2008
Acting Locally: Local Matters
Luper Neidenthal & Logan Shareholder David Scott was honored to accept a recent offer to join the Board of Directors of the Columbus-based not‐for‐profit “Local Matters”
Local Matters is trying to expand Central Ohio’s locally grown, community food system in three main ways:
- Creating a model for private and public schools that incorporates on‐site, edible food gardens and nutritional/wellness education;
- Working with underserved Columbus communities to help them grow their own large scale, edible food gardens & promoting efficient use of resources;
- Working with farmers and the farm community to encourage more edible food crops and advocating market opportunities for growers.
It’s hard to imagine a better way to Act Locally than by supporting local farmers and schoolchildren. David, and all of us at Luper Neidenthal & Logan, look forward to spreading the message and assisting this worthy cause.
Oct 15, 2008
Thinking Globally: Luper Neidenthal & Logan Contributes to The European Lawyer
Luper Neidenthal & Logan's own David Scott and Maite Mascaró of Barcelona-based law firm JAUSAS recently authored an article for publication in this month’s edition of “European Lawyer.” The article discusses why the legal profession should be concerned with sustainability.
Sep 26, 2008
Acting Locally: Luper Neidenthal & Logan and The Paper(less) Chase
Sep 25, 2008
Thinking Globally, or at least Nationally...
Luper Neidenthal & Logan's own David Scott was recently interviewed for an article published in the Minnesota Lawyer related to David’s work on the Meritas “Green Guide for Lawyers” and promoting sustainable law office practices.
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