Ashley Walter advises technology and life sciences companies on strategy, oversight and compliance with respect to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) measures. He approaches sustainability from a governance perspective, helping clients to develop an appropriate framework in which to advance their ESG programs.

Ashley is a leader of Orrick’s ESG initiatives. He assists companies and their boards in establishing effective board oversight of ESG matters, preparing ESG disclosures, addressing ESG commercial requirements, managing investor engagement with respect to ESG matters, and ensuring compliance with ESG laws and regulations. He leverages a firm grounding in ESG substantive issues, significant experience in the design and implementation of ESG policies and procedures, and sector-specific knowledge to develop practical ESG solutions for clients in the tech sector and beyond.

Ashley is a co-founder and past chair of the Corporate Social Responsibility Law Committee of the ABA Business Law Section, has taught the course “Corporate Social Responsibility” as a Lecturer in Law at Stanford Law School, and is a co-editor of The Lawyer’s Corporate Social Responsibility Deskbook, a resource for legal departments and outside counsel to address ESG performance and risk. In 2020, he co-chaired the Practicing Law Institute program “ESG 2020: What It Means for Boards, Management, and Counsel” and co-authored the article “Profound Change: The Evolution of ESG” in The Business Lawyer.