About Me

I am a Partner in the Environment and Energy team at independent UK law firm Burges Salmon LLP. My practice covers a broad range of EU and UK environment, energy and product stewardship issues.

My caseload includes regulatory appeals (including the first EU ETS appeal in Northern Ireland), judicial reviews in the Administrative Court, High Court civil claims, and criminal proceedings before the Magistrates' and the Crown Courts. I have also advised on disputes with an international angle, including a multi-million dollar environmental indemnity claim in New York, remediation claims for sites in Sweden and Texas, and a dispute about drinking water contamination within a small island state.

I frequently act for clients in investigations by regulators (such as the Environment Agency, Natural England, the COMAH competent authority, ONR and local authority environmental health departments) representing clients at interviews under cautions and in Court. An example of a recent success is the negotiation of the withdrawal of a summons for a water pollution offence in favour of an enforcement undertaking under the civil sanctions regime (the first civil sanction for water pollution in Wales).

I also advise on environmental risk and opportunities in commercial, corporate, property and financial transactions. I have a particular expertise in site closure and divestment of industrial sites having acted on the closure of major chemical works and power plants including the decommissioning of nuclear power sites.

I assist clients with operational compliance under the numerous regulatory regimes for environment and product stewardship, such as the EU REACH Regulation on chemicals, the EU Biocidal Products Regulation and the UK COMAH Regulations, to name just a handful.

If you have a question on environment, energy or product stewardship law or you want to discuss an environmental issue then please do get in touch.