In-house lawyers are spending more time on environmental, social and governance matters, adding to already-strained workloads. But it is a cause most believe in, even as blowback grows from critics of ESG initiatives.

That sentiment came through loud and clear in a study released this week by FTI Consulting, based on surveys of legal leaders at Fortune 1000 companies, as well as one-on-one interviews with 60 general counsel conducted by longtime FTI collaborator Ari Kaplan, a principal at Ari Kaplan Advisors.