Our working culture is underpinned by strong governance, transparency, and accountability. These principles shape how we make decisions, manage risk and uphold integrity across all areas of our business.
We also recognise our impact extends beyond our own operations. That’s why we’re embedding sustainability into our sourcing practices and working closely with our suppliers to ensure our values are reflected throughout our supply chain.
In parallel, through our ESG advisory practice we’re engaging with our clients to help them navigate the changing regulatory landscape and support them in achieving their sustainability goals.
Governance and oversight
Our responsible business work is embedded within the firm's governance structures and decision-making processes.
Sinéad Smith, Head of Responsible Business, reports directly to David Widger, Managing Partner. The Management Committee approves all key strategic decisions, while partners play an important role in shaping the firm's broader policy direction through engagement with the Chair and partnership meetings.
Strategic leadership
To respond to evolving stakeholder expectations and an ever-changing business environment, we continually review and refine our responsible business and pro bono priorities.
Sinéad Smith, Head of Responsible Business, and Eithne Lynch, Head of Pro Bono, are responsible for developing and delivering our strategy and objectives in these areas.
Ross Moore, partner in our Energy and Infrastructure practice, provides strategic sponsorship for both teams. He offers guidance and oversight while acting as a link between the Responsible Business and Pro Bono teams and the wider partnership.
“Ambition matters, but it is accountability that drives progress. By setting clear goals, measuring our performance and holding ourselves to high standards, we can deliver meaningful and lasting impact.”
Our Responsible Business and Pro Bono teams
Responsible Business
- Sinéad Smith, Head of Responsible Business
- Lorraine Fahy, Senior Responsible Business Executive
- Suzie O'Shea, Social Impact Manager
Pro Bono
- Eithne Lynch, Head of Pro Bono
- Jack Gibson, Pro Bono Lawyer
- Stephanie Griffiths, PA
L-R: Stephanie Griffiths, Eithne Lynch, Lorraine Fahy, Ross Moore, Sinéad Smith, Jack Gibson, Suzie O'Shea
Embedding accountability across the firm
We recognise that delivering on our responsible business ambitions requires leadership beyond a small central team. To support accountability, consistency and momentum we use a distributed leadership model across the firm.
Senior partners and business services leaders sponsor and support our Green, Social Mobility and Wellbeing committees. In parallel, four senior management D&I leads work alongside senior partners and managers who sponsor and support our OneALG, Cultural Diversity, Accessibility and Gender committees.
This model helps embed Responsible Business priorities into day-to-day decision-making and ensures ownership is shared across the firm.
Benchmarking our progress
To deliver meaningful impact we need more than ambition. We insist on accountability, transparency, integrity and holding ourselves to the highest standards.
Benchmarking our progress against recognised frameworks and industry peers helps us to measure what matters and work on improvements.
Committed to the UN Global Compact and Sustainable Development Goals
The Compact fosters collaborative action to help achieve the UN SDGs – our Responsible Business strategy aligns us to both. ALG is one of 100 Compact signatories in Ireland and we were proud to make our first official Communication on Progress on the Compact in 2025.
The Compact and certain SDGs (where we can have most impact) serve as a framework to guide our actions across environmental, social and governance (ESG) priorities.
How we manage risk
Our collaborative, best-in-class approach to responsible and comprehensive risk management protects the firm and our clients.
Our guiding principle is that every member of our firm has responsibility for managing risk, underpinned and supported by our Risk & Compliance team. This team also proactively identifies potential risks, and develops strategies and policies to mitigate them.
Our General Counsel, Paula Mullooly, leads our Risk & Compliance team. She reports directly to David Widger, our Managing Partner, and works with him to develop the team’s annual strategic risk priorities.
"Risk management is a shared responsibility, underpinned by accountability, integrity and sound judgement."
Technology and innovation
Evolving policy and practice
Data minimisation
Embedding data minimisation and data protection best practice helps us meet our legal obligations and maintain a risk-aware culture.
We only retain data needed for specific purposes, avoid unnecessary duplication and delete information when it is no longer required. This helps protect our clients, our people and the wider business.
Training
Mandatory training helps ensure our people understand their responsibilities and are equipped to manage risk effectively.
Each year, all employees complete training on areas including anti-money laundering and information security. In 2025, we also introduced firmwide AI literacy and AI policy training.
Cyber security
Cyber security remains a critical area of focus as threats continue to evolve. Through ongoing monitoring, testing and incident management planning, we work to safeguard our systems, information and clients.
Responsible AI use at ALG
At ALG, we support the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance legal and business services. Its use is guided by our ethical standards, data protection and client confidentiality requirements, as well as our commitments to responsible business practices.
Responsible AI forms part of our broader approach to good governance. Our Generative AI policy sets clear expectations around acceptable use, confidentiality, transparency and client-specific permissions. It also restricts use to approved enterprise-grade tools that meet our legal, professional and data protection requirements.
Protecting client confidentiality remains paramount. We undertake rigorous due diligence and maintain appropriate safeguards to support the secure and responsible use of AI technologies.
Our phased approach to AI adoption is designed to manage risk carefully, supported by mandatory AI literacy training for all employees.
Knowledge update: ESG timeline tool
In 2025, our Knowledge & Practice Development team worked to develop a platform for our ESG & Sustainability team to share content and updates easily and in a way that’s useful for our clients. This resulted in our firm’s new ESG timeline tool for clients.
Key ESG topics tracked:
- sustainability reporting
- sustainability due diligence
- climate and emissions
- environment
- energy
- circular economy
- sustainable finance
- consumer protection
- social (such as equality, diversity and inclusion)
Procurement: ensuring we buy sustainably
In 2025, we reviewed our approach to sustainable procurement in detail, looking at:
- how we embed sustainability considerations in our procurement lifecycle
- how proportional our due diligence process is, particularly for small and medium‑sized suppliers
- how this aligns with our firm’s objectives including governance, risk management and climate commitments
As a member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance (LSA), ALG participated in the alliance’s sustainable procurement working group, collaborating with other law firms to share practical tools, challenges and good practice.
We designed and tested a pilot sustainable supplier due diligence approach that included identifying risks and testing improved questionnaires and evidence requests. Findings from this pilot helped us refine our approach as we seek to implement sustainable procurement more consistently across the firm.
Stakeholder engagement
Engaging meaningfully with our stakeholders including employees, clients, suppliers and community partners is fundamental to how we shape and implement our responsible business strategy. This dialogue and consultation ensures our work is informed, inclusive and high-impact.
Our people
Regular internal surveys, focus groups and deep-dive consultations, lunch and learns, employee networks and committees.
Our clients
Engaging with clients through tenders, ESG questionnaires, client feedback and regular discussions, providing valuable insight into evolving responsible business priorities and expectations.
Our community and environmental partners
Collaborating with trusted organisations, who bring deep knowledge of local issues, needs and priorities.
Our suppliers
Through our supplier engagement science-based target and our responsible procurement practices.
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