Liane Langstaff

Liane Langstaff is a partner in the Environmental Law Group in Gowling WLG's Toronto office and co-leader of the firm’s ESG Advisory Services practice. She draws upon her Bachelor of Sciences in Environmental Sciences, her MBA and law degree to provide strategic regulatory advice and representation to her corporate and municipal clients.

Liane frequently acts on cutting-edge environmental and legal issues, including climate change, endangered species, constitutional and administrative law. She represented the Canadian Public Health Association in the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act constitutional cases before the Supreme Court of Canada and the Courts of Appeal of Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. In her ESG Advisory Service practice and as a Climate Governance Expert with the Canada Climate Law Initiative, Liane advises on the risks and opportunities associated with climate change and biodiversity.

In her daily practice, she has trained legal departments on why in-house and municipal lawyers should care about ESG, contributed to legal strategies on net zero commitments, supported the implementation of corporate climate action plans, and helped clients protect and leverage forest and farm holdings through carbon offsets. She has also advised on what more stringent climate disclosure standards domestically and internationally mean for all organizations – from publicly traded companies to privately-held retailers and public bodies.

Liane also has deep experience in environmental and impact assessment. She is the co-author of A Guide to the Impact Assessment Act, 2020 Edition and has represented municipalities and businesses during federal impact assessments and provincial environmental assessments for major infrastructure, energy and mining projects.

As an in-demand speaker, teacher and facilitator, Liane has been invited to share her insights with leading organizations, including the Governance Professionals of Canada, the Ontario Bar Association and Women Get on Board. Moreover,  Liane loves supporting the next generation of environmental professionals as a prior co-instructor of the environmental law course at Osgoode Hall Law School and a proud mentor to the firm’s summer and articling students.

Liane honed her legal skills as a clerk at the Ontario Court of Appeal. She graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School and the Schulich School of Business, where she was awarded the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Scholarship and Hennick Medal for Academic Excellence.