Other related areas

Major projects practice

Many major plant and infrastructure projects involve complex and inter-related planning and environmental issues, often with cross border aspects. Effective management of these issues from the outset is a critical factor in the successful outcome of a project.

Our EPR group has wide-ranging experience of dealing with planning, environmental and regulatory matters at every stage of the authorisation process, from the inception of a project through to its conclusion, including: obtaining planning permissions and statutory consents; handling planning enquiries; advising on environmental aspects of the development and ongoing stages of projects such as exploration and drilling platforms for oil and gas related projects; dealing with objectors (including protestor actions); and defending any legal challenges that may arise through court proceedings.

We specialise in advising companies, developers and investors on large scale, complex and often controversial projects, particularly in the energy, transport, telecoms and manufacturing sectors. We also regularly advise on risk management and compliance issues, including quality control, managing environmental impact assessments and providing accident and emergency response plans.

Transactional work

We have extensive international cross-border transactional and advisory expertise. Our specialists offer a comprehensive service to international and national clients, financial institutions and governments from our offices in Europe, Asia and the US.

We are well practiced at carrying out environmental and planning due diligence audits to identify areas of risk and ensure that they are properly catered for in transactional structures. Environmental and planning issues form an integral part of major investment and infrastructure decisions and our specialists work closely with other members of transactional teams, internally and externally, to provide a seamless and efficient service.

We have conducted due diligence investigations for industries as diverse as fossil-fuel power generation, oil and gas pipeline operation, nuclear waste management, pharmaceuticals, food and drink and aero-engine manufacture.

Environmental prosecutions

We defend companies and their directors and officers in environmental and health and safety prosecutions. We advise on high profile and smaller matters and guide clients through investigations, interviews and prosecutions by relevant enforcing authorities in the wake of environmental and health and safety incidents. Our lawyers also provide a rapid response service to clients in need of immediate assistance.

We act for clients on a wide range of criminal matters, including water pollution prosecutions, investigations following incidents such as oil spills, asbestos prosecutions and waste related cases.

Toxic tort

We have extensive experience defending multiparty claims involving allegations that occupational or environmental exposures from industrial activities have harmed employees or members of the public.

We have been involved in defending a series of test cases litigating complex scientific and legal issues of causation and liability concerning, for example, alleged effects of ionising radiation, agrochemicals, electro-magnetic fields, tobacco, noise and dust pollution. We have expertise in preparing complex scientific evidence for use in courts and other tribunals.

Administrative law cases

We act in administrative law cases for a substantial number of multinational and national clients in a wide range of sectors. Our work ranges from involvement in regulatory matters through challenges to the legality of decision making by planning or environmental authorities and national governments, to judicial reviews and statutory appeals.

Challenging environmental permits by judicial review proceedings is a growing trend and our clients in some jurisdictions include governments, local authorities and enterprise bodies.

Protestor action campaigns

We have extensive experience dealing with unlawful protestor action campaigns, including advising on crisis management techniques, strategies for liaison with law enforcement agencies and implementing early warning systems to deal with possible protests.

We have, on many occasions, obtained at very short notice injunctions preventing unlawful protestor action. In several incidences this has involved taking simultaneous action in courts across Europe where the protestor action is co-ordinated in more than one country or the protest group has a multijurisdictional presence.

News

Freshfields appoints new global head of dispute resolution View

Freshfields announces new counsel appointments View

Briefings

Public aid for the German economy  View

The ‘expansive approach’ to freedom of information – are the courts reining it in?  View

A double whammy for petrochemical firms: the impact of the 2013 emissions trading rules

Paul Bowden, partner responsible for the carbon economy team, sets out what companies can do now, and how to make sure they are ready for 2013. Watch

A summary of what the proposals for the third phase of the EU emissions trading scheme will mean for EU petrochemical companies. View

Awards

Commercial Arbitration Law Firm of the Year - Who's Who Legal (2008)

Competition/Regulatory Team of the Year - Lawyer Awards (2008)

View all awards

Our carbon economy team

Read about our carbon economy team