Groundsure is entering into a training partnership to deliver certification content with compliance services and risk management provider Legal Eye.

Groundsure, an environmental and climate data authority, will provide training and education for legal teams on climate risks and the duties they owe their clients via a module hosted on Legal Eye’s Training Academy platform.

The online tutorial explains the latest guidance from the Law Society and will walk legal practitioners through the importance of incorporating climate analysis within their overall environmental search reporting. It will also identify existing data and drafting tools that can assist with a consistent approach to client communication. This will help teams explain any risk effectively to both the client and — if valid — the lender.

Once the module, Climate Risks in Conveyancing, is complete, lawyers will be tested on the content. If they pass, they will receive a certificate of competence which can be held on their training record.

David Kempster, Groundsure’s marketing director, said: “With property transactions representing a high compliance risk area already and with the value of assets at stake in the future, climate risks are areas that will become of increasing fiduciary concern to partners, COFAs and COLPs. Now that the Law Society has released its guidance on climate risks, there is more of a focus than ever on how firms are communicating risks to their clients.

“That’s why we’ve developed this training programme: it reflects the Law Society’s call for better support and education on climate risk for lawyers — both from their original Climate Resolution and also now in the Guidance. The module, which can be delivered as and when teams need it, will walk legal practitioners through the need to incorporate climate analysis into their overall environmental search reporting as well as how to use the tools available, such as climate clauses, so they can be consistent in their approach to client communication.”

Paul Saunders, managing director of Legal Eye, added: “To give their clients compliant information that can be relied on consistently, firms need both the right data and the right approach to using it. They can’t go beyond this in terms of advice on climate issues, but they can ensure that their conveyancing team is de-risked and alive to the need to incorporate commentary on any risks.

“The new Groundsure module on our Training Academy platform provides an effective, high-level way to provide accessible certification on climate risks in the property transaction and how to mitigate them. It reflects the importance of keeping up with the changing regulatory landscape and that all staff are well-informed and understand their day-to-day responsibilities in terms of the conduct of matters.”