Avani Panchal is a Climate Advisor at Orrick, serving as an integral member of the firm’s Responsible Business Solutions group. She provides non-legal guidance to clients on climate strategy, risk management, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets, and supports the identification of sustainability and climate change issues across sectors. Avani’s work includes analyzing climate and ESG performance data, preparing disclosures, advising on greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories, and researching emerging sustainability trends.

Within Orrick, she collaborates closely with the Chief Sustainability Officer on the firm’s own climate initiatives, including GHG reporting, assurance, and integrating sustainability into client pitches and proposals.

Avani’s prior roles as Corporate Sustainability & Climate Change Manager and Air Quality/Sustainability Senior Consultant involved leading air quality and GHG compliance projects, ESG due diligence aligned with IFC Performance Standards and the Equator Principles, and developing mitigation strategies for industries ranging from municipal governments to oil and gas facilities. She has prepared sustainability reports and plans using frameworks such as the GHG Protocol, TCFD, CDP, and GRI.

She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, India.