Dentons, the world’s largest global law firm, announces the appointments of Michael Duvall and Noor Kapdi as Co-Chairs of the Firm's Global ESG Practice Leadership Team.

Michael and Noor will lead the Firm’s team of cross-practice experts, former general counsel and leading authorities on ESG who are at the forefront of delivering market-leading ESG support to clients. Dentons’ ESG practice has evolved quickly and successfully, delivering high-quality products and services for clients by bringing together its ESG subject matter experts and broader practice and sector teams and developing innovative tools that help anticipate the rapidly changing regulatory environment across the 82 countries where Dentons has a presence.

"Ensuring our clients have access to market-leading ESG advisors is vital to our business strategy. By appointing Michael and Noor to lead the Firm’s ESG practice, we will continue to offer a competitively positioned ESG practice," said Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO of Dentons. "Michael has extensive experience leading multiple high-profile litigation cases centering on ESG. Noor brings a wealth of highly nuanced experience and perspectives on some of the most critically relevant human rights and environmental issues impacting the current global ESG landscape. The combined value of these appointments means nuanced expertise for our clients, whose ESG-related issues vary significantly based on their jurisdiction. I have worked closely with both of these outstanding leaders for many years, and I am confident that their shared leadership will enhance our offering to clients."

"I am honored to help lead and evolve how we continue to support our clients on their myriad ESG-related issues. We expect climate-related litigation to continue at a steady pace, extending beyond consumer-facing sectors to banking, insurance and the wider investor community. Organizations that are not working toward decarbonization and those that make unsubstantiated sustainability claims will face greater risk," said Michael Duvall, Partner at Dentons.

"We find ourselves at a pivotal juncture. Multinationals are grappling with a rapidly shifting geopolitical, regulatory and legal landscape, and it is incumbent on us to support our clients in navigating that environment and defining what ESG means for their organizations. We have the ability to work closely with our clients wherever they operate in the world to provide bold and transformative ESG legal strategies that deliver meaningful impact and progress on their sustainability targets," said Noor Kapdi, CEO of Dentons’ Africa Region.

Michael is a Partner at Dentons based in the US and a resident of Los Angeles and New York. He brings deep experience in consumer class actions, complex litigation and related regulatory actions to his new leadership role. Michael has defended well over 100 class actions, achieving a wide variety of successful outcomes for his clients. He also provides pro bono representation to victims of domestic violence, and he was recognized as a Volunteer of the Year by The Legal Assistance Foundation for his work in this area.

Noor is Dentons’ Africa Region CEO and a Founding Partner of KapdiTwala (now Dentons) in South Africa. Under his leadership, the Firm's presence in Africa has grown to more than 18 locations across 13 countries. He is a member of the Global Banking and Finance, Global Corporate and Global Energy and Infrastructure and Project Finance practice groups. An experienced commercial lawyer, he was awarded the Presidential Award from the Cape Law Society for establishing the first black law firm in South Africa with an international affiliation.

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