WTF Does ESG Really Mean for M&A?

In a political environment increasingly hostile towards even the most elemental social values, it may be easy to imagine ESG issues as a mere supplement to the bare economics of mergers and acquisitions.

Think again, according to panelists Thursday morning at the 19th annual Mergers and Acquisitions Institute in Dallas hosted by the University of Texas School of Law. In a wide-ranging discussion (cleverly titled: “WTF Does ESG Really Mean for M&A?”) panelists from five firms concluded that ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) issues, both financial and legal, are moving toward greater focus in M&A transactions; perhaps at different paces depending on industry or geography, but evolving nonetheless in ways that need the attention of lawyers, regardless of the side they represent.