New York, USA – Former New York Gov. George E. Pataki is spearheading a climate change law practice to help clients deal with the legal and economic effects of a warming planet.



John Cahill, former Commissioner of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, will join Pataki to lead the practice, which is being formed by Chadbourne & Parke LLP. The firm has a history assisting the wind energy, ethanol and solar industries.



The news comes as dozens of lawyers in the Bay State signed the Massachusetts Bar Lawyers Environmental Pledge, which commits attorneys to implement the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA) Green Guidelines.



The guidelines, which are the next step of the MBA Lawyers Eco-Challenge, focus on eight areas of sustainability, such as paper reduction, greenhouse gas reduction and recycling. They were written by the MBA Energy and Environment Task Force; the Eco-Challenge was unveiled in September.



“We all know that as lawyers and as citizens we have a duty to fight global warming and resource depletion,” said MBA President David W. White Jr. “The steps outlined by the task force give every lawyer easy ways to reduce the impact of the practice of law on our planet. Lawyers need to be leaders in the fight against climate change.”



The American Bar Association also launched a program with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency called the Law Office Climate Challenge. The program focuses on paper use and recycling, purchasing green power and energy efficiency. Nearly 100 law offices across the country have joined the program.