Four Decades for Justice
Our environmental lawyers have extensive experience advising and supporting clients on complicated environmental issues across a broad range of contexts, including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity offerings, bank loans and other business transactions. We also advise corporate clients and their boards of directors on evolving, and often novel, challenges and opportunities associated with environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, sustainability concerns and climate change. In addition, we represent clients in complex environmental litigation and investigations, including those relating to remediation matters, climate change and indemnification disputes.
Environmental matters facing businesses are increasingly complex and sophisticated, both legally and scientifically. They often involve difficult technical and regulatory issues that can have significant effects on both day‑to‑day operations and strategic business decisions. As public awareness and investor expectations continue to increase with respect to the management and reporting of such matters, companies must address risks that can impact their financial and reputational core.
We are frequently engaged to assist clients in identifying, assessing and allocating environmental liabilities in corporate transactions, including addressing legal challenges relating to environmental regulatory issues, remediation and other liability matters and SEC environmental disclosure requirements. This also includes the management of significant post‑closing environmental indemnification obligations and legacy liabilities, such as mass toxic tort matters, and resolving environmental‑related contractual disputes. We also regularly advise clients on sustainability reporting and ESG‑related shareholder engagement and proxy matters. Our experience in virtually every industry enables us to understand the long‑term operational and strategic needs of our clients as well as industry‑wide trends and practices, and we use that knowledge to help develop practical solutions to environmental problems and to use environmental opportunities to their best advantage.
Cravath has been ranked as a top‑tier firm for our environmental transactional expertise by Chambers USA since its inception in 2003, and the publication quotes clients as saying:
With respect to environmental‑related litigation, which often can involve high‑stakes disputes across multiple forums and involve novel and varied legal theories, Cravath’s litigators are ideally positioned to secure results that can reshape legal and business landscapes for our clients. In defending against these actions, we draw on our technical knowledge to comprehensively address the substantive claims, while our generalist litigation training equips us with the skills to simultaneously manage, coordinate and direct a successful defense, often of numerous concurrent actions.
Environmental matters facing businesses are increasingly complex and sophisticated, both legally and scientifically. They often involve difficult technical and regulatory issues that can have significant effects on both day‑to‑day operations and strategic business decisions. As public awareness and investor expectations continue to increase with respect to the management and reporting of such matters, companies must address risks that can impact their financial and reputational core.
We are frequently engaged to assist clients in identifying, assessing and allocating environmental liabilities in corporate transactions, including addressing legal challenges relating to environmental regulatory issues, remediation and other liability matters and SEC environmental disclosure requirements. This also includes the management of significant post‑closing environmental indemnification obligations and legacy liabilities, such as mass toxic tort matters, and resolving environmental‑related contractual disputes. We also regularly advise clients on sustainability reporting and ESG‑related shareholder engagement and proxy matters. Our experience in virtually every industry enables us to understand the long‑term operational and strategic needs of our clients as well as industry‑wide trends and practices, and we use that knowledge to help develop practical solutions to environmental problems and to use environmental opportunities to their best advantage.
Cravath has been ranked as a top‑tier firm for our environmental transactional expertise by Chambers USA since its inception in 2003, and the publication quotes clients as saying:
With respect to environmental‑related litigation, which often can involve high‑stakes disputes across multiple forums and involve novel and varied legal theories, Cravath’s litigators are ideally positioned to secure results that can reshape legal and business landscapes for our clients. In defending against these actions, we draw on our technical knowledge to comprehensively address the substantive claims, while our generalist litigation training equips us with the skills to simultaneously manage, coordinate and direct a successful defense, often of numerous concurrent actions.
Deals & Cases
March 13, 2024
Cravath represented the underwriters in connection with the $1.5 billion registered senior notes offering of Phillips 66 Company, guaranteed by Phillips 66, an energy manufacturing and logistics company with midstream, chemicals, refining, marketing and specialties businesses. The transaction closed on February 28, 2024.
Deals & Cases
March 05, 2024
Cravath represented the underwriters in connection with the registered $500 million senior notes offering of Kyndryl Holdings, Inc., a leading technology services company and the largest IT infrastructure services provider in the world. The transaction closed on February 20, 2024.
Deals & Cases
February 27, 2024
Cravath represented the underwriters in connection with the €1.2 billion senior notes offering of Fortive Corporation, a provider of essential technologies for connected workflow solutions across a range of attractive end‑markets. The transaction closed on February 13, 2024.
Deals & Cases
February 23, 2024
Cravath represented the underwriters in connection with the $500 million registered notes offering of CNA Financial Corporation, a global insurance organization serving businesses with a broad range of commercial property and casualty insurance products, including surety, and insurance‑related services. The transaction closed on February 9, 2024.
Deals & Cases
February 22, 2024
Cravath represented the underwriters in connection with the $500 million registered senior notes offering of Cencora, Inc., a leading global pharmaceutical solutions organization centered on improving the lives of people and animals around the world. The transaction closed on February 7, 2024.
Activities & Publications
March 18, 2024
On March 18, 2024, Cravath prepared a memo for its clients entitled “A Deeper Dive into the SEC’s Landmark Climate Disclosure Rules for Public Companies.” The memo examines in depth the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recently adopted final rules requiring climate‑related disclosures for public companies. The memo outlines key takeaways of the final rules; the timeline for compliance; the background of the SEC’s focus on disclosure regarding climate change; the concept of materiality as used in the rules; the rules’ applicability to FPIs and other issuers; ongoing litigation challenging the validity of the rules; and next steps for public companies and their advisors to plan for compliance.
Activities & Publications
March 13, 2024
On March 12, 2024, Cravath partner Elad Roisman served as the keynote speaker in a webcast entitled “First Look at the SEC Climate Disclosure Rules,” which was hosted by PwC. During the webcast, Elad discussed how the SEC’s newly released climate disclosure rules will impact public companies and the importance of starting to prepare soon.
Activities & Publications
March 08, 2024
On March 8, 2024, Cravath prepared a memo for its clients entitled “SEC Adopts Climate Disclosure Rules for Public Companies.” The memo examines the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recently adopted final rules requiring climate-related disclosures for public companies. It provides a high-level summary of the key requirements of the final rules relevant to public companies and their advisors.
Activities & Publications
February 26, 2024
On February 21, 2024, Cravath partners John W. White and Michael L. Arnold participated in a program hosted by the University of Delaware’s John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance entitled “The Evolving ESG Landscape: Practical Advice for Boards and Companies in 2024.” The program explored how boards and their advisors can navigate the evolving ESG landscape and examined challenging emerging issues, including board involvement in interactions with investors, employees and other stakeholders; responses to ESG backlash; board responsibility for integration of ESG into strategy, operations and control environment; ESG activists; and shareholder proposals.
Activities & Publications
October 10, 2023
On October 9, 2023, Cravath prepared a memo for its clients entitled “California Legislature Passes and Governor Newsom Signs Landmark California Climate Bills.” The memo examines the California legislature’s two recently passed climate disclosure bills, known respectively as the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and the Climate‑Related Financial Risk Act, which were signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 7, 2023, and currently constitute the most extensive set of mandatory climate disclosures in the United States. The memo outlines key features of the bills, including their important differences from the SEC’s proposed climate rule, what specific details in the bills remain undefined or otherwise uncertain and next steps for companies to consider as they prepare for these disclosure obligations.
Deals & Cases
March 13, 2024
Cravath represented the underwriters in connection with the $1.5 billion registered senior notes offering of Phillips 66 Company, guaranteed by Phillips 66, an energy manufacturing and logistics company with midstream, chemicals, refining, marketing and specialties businesses. The transaction closed on February 28, 2024.
Deals & Cases
March 05, 2024
Cravath represented the underwriters in connection with the registered $500 million senior notes offering of Kyndryl Holdings, Inc., a leading technology services company and the largest IT infrastructure services provider in the world. The transaction closed on February 20, 2024.
Deals & Cases
February 27, 2024
Cravath represented the underwriters in connection with the €1.2 billion senior notes offering of Fortive Corporation, a provider of essential technologies for connected workflow solutions across a range of attractive end‑markets. The transaction closed on February 13, 2024.
Deals & Cases
February 23, 2024
Cravath represented the underwriters in connection with the $500 million registered notes offering of CNA Financial Corporation, a global insurance organization serving businesses with a broad range of commercial property and casualty insurance products, including surety, and insurance‑related services. The transaction closed on February 9, 2024.
Deals & Cases
February 22, 2024
Cravath represented the underwriters in connection with the $500 million registered senior notes offering of Cencora, Inc., a leading global pharmaceutical solutions organization centered on improving the lives of people and animals around the world. The transaction closed on February 7, 2024.
Activities & Publications
March 18, 2024
On March 18, 2024, Cravath prepared a memo for its clients entitled “A Deeper Dive into the SEC’s Landmark Climate Disclosure Rules for Public Companies.” The memo examines in depth the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recently adopted final rules requiring climate‑related disclosures for public companies. The memo outlines key takeaways of the final rules; the timeline for compliance; the background of the SEC’s focus on disclosure regarding climate change; the concept of materiality as used in the rules; the rules’ applicability to FPIs and other issuers; ongoing litigation challenging the validity of the rules; and next steps for public companies and their advisors to plan for compliance.
Activities & Publications
March 13, 2024
On March 12, 2024, Cravath partner Elad Roisman served as the keynote speaker in a webcast entitled “First Look at the SEC Climate Disclosure Rules,” which was hosted by PwC. During the webcast, Elad discussed how the SEC’s newly released climate disclosure rules will impact public companies and the importance of starting to prepare soon.
Activities & Publications
March 08, 2024
On March 8, 2024, Cravath prepared a memo for its clients entitled “SEC Adopts Climate Disclosure Rules for Public Companies.” The memo examines the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s recently adopted final rules requiring climate-related disclosures for public companies. It provides a high-level summary of the key requirements of the final rules relevant to public companies and their advisors.
Activities & Publications
February 26, 2024
On February 21, 2024, Cravath partners John W. White and Michael L. Arnold participated in a program hosted by the University of Delaware’s John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance entitled “The Evolving ESG Landscape: Practical Advice for Boards and Companies in 2024.” The program explored how boards and their advisors can navigate the evolving ESG landscape and examined challenging emerging issues, including board involvement in interactions with investors, employees and other stakeholders; responses to ESG backlash; board responsibility for integration of ESG into strategy, operations and control environment; ESG activists; and shareholder proposals.
Activities & Publications
October 10, 2023
On October 9, 2023, Cravath prepared a memo for its clients entitled “California Legislature Passes and Governor Newsom Signs Landmark California Climate Bills.” The memo examines the California legislature’s two recently passed climate disclosure bills, known respectively as the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and the Climate‑Related Financial Risk Act, which were signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 7, 2023, and currently constitute the most extensive set of mandatory climate disclosures in the United States. The memo outlines key features of the bills, including their important differences from the SEC’s proposed climate rule, what specific details in the bills remain undefined or otherwise uncertain and next steps for companies to consider as they prepare for these disclosure obligations.
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