Biography
Katy Carden is an Associate at White & Case and co-leads the Firm's Sustainability and Responsible Business Working Group for Associates.
Katy's practice covers all aspects of environmental, social (including health and safety at work), climate change and human rights law across sectors including, consumer goods, energy, carbon and biodiversity markets, defence, manufacturing, oil and gas, infrastructure, technology, solar and medical devices.
Katy helps clients with the design and implementation of strategies to identify and manage environmental and human rights risk on a global and localised basis. This includes advising on compliance with emerging corporate sustainability reporting, supply chain due diligence and product traceability regimes, and international human rights frameworks (including IFC Performance Standards compliance, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights, and International Labour Organization Conventions).
She regularly provides advice on the ESG aspects of complex multi-jurisdictional M&A and has experience managing incidents and regulatory prosecutions through investigation to defence.
Before joining White & Case, Katy was an associate in the Environment and ESG team at a leading global law firm.
Experience
ESG regulatory advice for US listed electronics manufacturer, 2024-2025
Development and implementation of a new social compliance function in alignment with regulatory requirements and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; advice on compliance with several regulations under the EU Green Deal; delivering CSRD-aligned double materiality assessment.
M&A for US listed electronics manufacturer, 2024-2025
Environment, Health and Safety and Human Rights due diligence and transactional support on several multinational M&A transactions in the manufacturing, energy, logistics, and technology sectors.
EU Deforestation Regulation advice for global agricultural commodities processor, 2024-2025
Advising on the applicability of and contractual solutions for compliance with the EUDR.
ESG regulatory advice for global internet technology and digital platforms company, 2024-2025
Advising on the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive; advising on the UK's Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting Framework and Climate-related Financial Disclosures.
ESG regulatory advice for UK listed consumer goods company, 2024
Advising on the development of a risk-based due diligence compliance solution in line with the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
TotalEnergies (EACOP), 2024
Drafting bespoke funding agreement for the financing and execution of biodiversity offset projects in line with IFC Performance Standards, including management of risk relating to the environment and to human rights of indigenous communities.
Botanic Gardens Conservation International (Pro-Bono), 2024
Developing a legal framework for the sale and purchase of Biodiversity Impact Credits.
Green Gold Forestry, 2024
Advising carbon credit forestry project developer on the sale of carbon credits; drafting template Emission Reduction Purchase Agreeement.
Regulatory defence, 2023-2024
Advising a global provider of fuels and services on the investigation of and defence strategy in relation to a pollution incident.
EHS advice in relation to prospective hydrogen project, 2023
Advising global storage infrastructure operator on EHS regulatory issues in the context of prospective hydrogren project, including environmental permitting, water supply, contaminated land, H&S, and input on transaction documents.*
Private equity (various), 2020-2023
Advising on various sales and acquisitions of large global manufacturing, real estate, hospitality, and healthcare businesses, involving complex EHS and ESG issues, assisting with diligence and input to transaction documents.*
*Work conducted at previous law firm.
"Best Law Firm Advisory Team in Environmental Protection", 2025 Legal 500 UK ESG Awards
World Sustainability Leaders Webinar: "Evolution of the EU Omnibus, what it means for business", September 2025
World Sustainability Congress: "M&A: The Sustainability Integration Challenge", October 2025