Millennials have come of age in an era when environmental and social crises have defined much of their adult lives, as has the recurrent message that time is of the essence. Future generations will bear the greatest burden created by climate change, pandemics, and inequality, but often they are not in positions of power to make impactful decisions about it.

This book gives voice to young lawyers offering new critical perspectives in the burgeoning field of corporate law and sustainability. Climate change is an intergenerational crisis, and the solutions and path forward must include intergenerational voices. Millennials are rising in power at a critical juncture in our climate and corporate history, and their perspectives stand apart from those who have been trained into myopic views of what constitutes change. These essays challenge the status quo across a number of pressing topics, including executive compensation, board diversity, decolonialization, crowdfunding, social media risk, corporate lobbying, shareholder activism, tax avoidance, global supply chain management, and human rights, written with a level of thoughtfulness and urgency that demands attention from policymakers and scholars alike.

Edited by Carol Liao, a leading expert in the field, and with a foreword by author and filmmaker of The Corporation and The New Corporation Joel Bakan, this book offers timeless research from a diverse group of young lawyers calling for bona fide corporate accountability within legal and regulatory frameworks, including innovative ideas for reform.

Carol Liao is associate professor of law, UBC Sauder Distinguished Scholar, and director of the Centre for Business Law at the University of British Columbia.

Carol Liao's profile page

Joel Bakan is a professor of law at the University of British Columbia.

Joel Bakan's profile page

“Carol Liao is a truly international and sustainability-oriented corporate law scholar, which is rare in itself. That she has used her expertise and wisdom to give the next generation of Canadian lawyers a voice in this inspiring collection is remarkable. Seven years after the book Company Law and Sustainability: Legal Barriers and Opportunities, this new volume is timely, thought-provoking and a must-read for all scholars and lawyers who care about contributing to a safe and just space for all of humanity.” Beate Sjåfjell, University of Oslo

“Though the problems these essays confront are difficult, you will find in them neither despair nor defeat. They are never cynical, but always skeptical. And skepticism – at least this is how I see it – is always a symptom of hope. Why question the world as it is if you don’t believe it can be something better? So, listen to the voices of these young lawyers. Learn from them, see things from their perspectives, and, most importantly, feel the hope that drives their inquiries.” Joel Bakan, author and filmmaker of The Corporation and The New Corporation