12 March 2024

McCann FitzGerald LLP invests in ESG legal studies at UCC

Pictured from left to right: Prof Femi Amao, Professor of Company Law & Sustainability at UCC; Prof Thia Hennessy, Head of College of Business and Law, UCC; Prof John O'Halloran, President, UCC; Éamon Ó Cuív, Partner at McCann FitzGerald LLP

The programme, Environmental, Social & Corporate Governance (ESG) and Businesses: Law, Policy and Practice, was established in response to growing regulatory changes and increased demand from businesses for specialist advice in this complex and expanding area of legislation. The course has been co-developed and will be co-delivered by the University’s School of Law and McCann FitzGerald LLP, to provide a unique blended learning experience for students from both academics and expert practitioners.

The new programme, delivered at UCC’s School of Law, will be led by Femi Amao, the recently appointed Professor of Company Law & Sustainability. Professor Amao will collaborate with colleagues across the university to advance the sustainable development of business and society, as part of UCC’s wider Futures Sustainability initiative.

McCann FitzGerald LLP partners, including Éamon Ó Cuív, Ciara Ryan, Brendan Slattery and Laura Treacy, will deliver seminars with a specific practitioner focus, including perspectives on Sustainable Finance, ESG Disputes and Litigation, Sustainability Reporting and ESG considerations for Competition Law. 

Commenting on the partnership, Professor Mark Poustie, Dean of Law at UCC said “The School is very grateful to McCann FitzGerald for this innovative support which will help to ensure that all BCL and LLB students within the School and also a wide range of students beyond the School have access to ESG education within their programmes. This is a vitally important area for corporate law and will help to shift corporate governance to more sustainable models over time. In addition, this novel approach to co-curricular development between the legal profession and academia aligns very well with UCC’s Connected Curriculum and will ensure that students have access not only to the expertise of a leading academic such as Professor Femi Amao but also those at the cutting edge of practice within one of Ireland’s top law firms.”

Éamon Ó Cuív, Partner, McCann FitzGerald LLP added: “There is a growing need for ongoing education, deeper understanding and further specialism in how sustainability considerations are being integrated into law and public policy. The development of this curriculum, in partnership with UCC, is a practical step towards building the necessary pipeline of talent in Ireland to advise domestic and international companies, public and private, on the myriad of challenges, opportunities, risks and imperatives associated with the transition to net zero and other policies focused on moving our economy and society towards a more sustainable path. As a globally recognised law school, UCC’s proactivity in reflecting the most current of corporate topics within their curriculum will serve to support Ireland’s wider economy, where we see increased demand for specialist advice and services in this space. We are delighted to be involved with this initiative and look forward to meeting the students and next generation of legal professionals this September in Cork.”   

The development of the new course was facilitated by Alumni and Development UCC and the Cork University Foundation. Kerry Bryson, CEO of Cork University Foundation said; “We are grateful to McCann FitzGerald for their generous support. Corporate philanthropy like this is a sound investment in our collective future - as part of Ireland’s transition to a sustainable economy, UCC students will be better prepared to manage the risks and identify the opportunities that good ESG practices presents.”

As part of its wider relationship with UCC School of Law, McCann FitzGerald LLP will continue to support a bursary in first year Contract Law and prizes for law students at both undergraduate BCL and postgraduate LLB level.