Greenspoon Marder launches advisory affiliate group

Greenspoon Marder launches advisory affiliate group

Value(s) Management and Investment group to assist companies in ESG related space

Greenspoon Marder, a national full-service business law firm with over 200 attorneys and offices across the United States has formed an affiliate specializing in environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies. Ranked among American Lawyer's Am Law 200, as one of the top law firms since 2015, its new associate will advise public and private companies as well as investment firms on their ESG-related operations.

The Florida-based firm announced that the Value(s) Management and Investment (VMI) group will assist companies in the investment space to benefit them from managing sustainability-related operations, communications, risk management and assurances processes. Additionally, it will focus on capital allocation and attraction decisions.

VMI will primarily aim at zooming in on client's core products and services while "avoiding the often expensive and unproductive quagmire in which ESG work can often get stuck," the firm's statement read.

Sarah Teslik, the firm's partner will lead the affiliate. A seasoned expert in ESG and investor space, she focuses her practice on investment, corporate governance, sustainability reporting, investor engagement, board governance and other related matters.

Teslik maintained that VMI would set itself apart from other ESG advisory groups. Through the affiliate's "willingness and ability to tell clients what is not worth doing as well as what is essential to address," it will ensure the focus remains on high-value work products, she announced.

"We pride ourselves not just on understanding topics on a technical and granular level, but also on being able to apply that knowledge with creativity. This will enable clients to be the leaders where they wish to be," she added.

Prior to joining Greenspoon Marder, Teslik was a partner at Joele Frank Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher, a New York-based financial communications and investor relations firm.

She has served as the founding executive director of the Council of Institutional Investors. She also worked as senior vice president of public affairs, communication and governance at hydrocarbon exploration company Apache Corporation (now APA Corporation).

VMI's leadership team includes Julian Hamud, Peter Taylor, Michael Patrick and Jen Fante. Also, Australia-based governance expert Daniel Smith and London-based attorney and communications professional Jef McAllister are part of the group.

Commenting on the launch, Hamud, who previously led the governance advisory company Glass Lewis' executive compensation research group said, "Governance issues were the first to gain prominence. Environmental matters followed these.

"Increasingly, companies and their investors recognize that social issues drive everything from reputational and risk exposure to recruiting and retention potential and financial sustainability. Still, several companies are unable to track and analyze these metrics and opportunities."