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Environmental Law
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Environmental Law
Our environmental law barristers at St Pauls Chambers have experience with most aspects of environmental criminal law, including nuisance claims, noise and air pollution, land redevelopment and contaminated land, environmental permits and licences, and waste management.
What is Environmental Criminal Law?
‘The environment consists of all, or any of the following media, namely, the air, water and land; and the medium of air includes the air within buildings and the air within other natural or man-made structures above or below ground’ (Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990). It follows from this statutory definition that environmental law is the body of law which seeks to enhance or protect the environment and involves both contentious and non-contentious matters.
Types of Environmental Crime
Environmental crimes are acts in which significant harm or risk is caused to the environment or human health. There are many types of environmental crime, which include:
- Illegal emissions or discharge of substances into the air, water or soil.
- Illegal wildlife trading.
- Illegal shipment or dumping of waste.
- Illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances.
These types of crimes have an ‘invisible impact’ short term but can be devastating to the environment and human welfare in the long run. Environmental crime is a growing concern, and the need for updates to environmental criminal law and specialist environmental law barristers is ever-growing.
Environmental Criminal Law and Health and Safety Law
There is a degree of natural overlap between environmental law and other – both criminal and regulatory, such as issues concerning asbestos contamination, regulation and compliance. However, for offences to which the environmental offences sentencing guidelines apply (i.e. EPA 1990, Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010), the severity of the sentences are significantly less than under the health and safety offences guidelines.
The guidelines emphasise the removal of economic benefits rather than the more punitive approach for health and safety offences. Nevertheless, the impact of any fine is intended to be severe. Accordingly, it should encourage corporates to seek earlier involvement of counsel to navigate the most successful path through any EA investigation and subsequent criminal proceedings.

Barristers
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QCs
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Head of Chambers
Simon Bickler QC
Call: 1988
Silk: 2011
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Nigel Sangster QC
Call: 1976
Silk: 1998
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Richard Barraclough QC
Call: 1980
Silk: 2003
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Simon Myerson QC
Call: 1986
Silk: 2003
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Bryan Cox QC
Call: 1979
Silk: 2005
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Associate Tenant
Jane Bewsey QC
Call: 1986
Silk: 2010
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Sam Green QC
Call: 1998
Silk: 2015
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John Harrison QC
Call: 1994
Silk: 2016
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Jonathan Sandiford QC
Call: 1992
Silk: 2020
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Associate Tenant
Cameron Brown QC
Call: 1998
Silk: 2020
There are no QCs suiting filter condition
Members
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Jeremy Barnett
Call: 1980
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Philip Standfast
Call: 1980
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Nikki Saxton
Call: 1992
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Robert Smith
Call: 1995
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Derek Duffy
Call: 1997
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Nicholas Worsley
Call: 1998
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Alasdair Campbell
Call: 1999
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Denise Breen-Lawton
Call: 2000
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Andrew Stranex
Call: 2000
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Jane Brady
Call: 2001
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James Bourne-Arton
Call: 2001
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Sasha Bailey
Call: 2002
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Danielle Graham
Call: 2003
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Hal Watson
Call: 2003
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James Lake
Call: 2005
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Andrew Nixon
Call: 2006
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Helen Chapman
Call: 2006
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Voldi Welch
Call: 2008
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Hannah Hinton
Call: 2008
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Angus MacDonald
Call: 2009
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Sophie Mitchell
Call: 2010
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Hannah Lynch
Call: 2011
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Stephen Flint
Call: 2012
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George Hazel-Owram
Call: 2012
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Kristina Goodwin
Call: 2013
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Stephen Elphick
Call: 2014
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Charlie Greenwood
Call: 2015
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Frances Pencheon
Call: 2015
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Jessica Heggie
Call: 2017
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Temitayo Dasaolu
Call: 2018
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Ayman Khokhar
Call: 2018
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Harry Crowson
Call: 2019
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Emma Handley
Call: 2019
There are no Members suiting filter condition
Environmental Law Barristers
Barristers at St Pauls Chambers have experience with most aspects of environmental criminal law and regulatory matters, including nuisance claims, noise and air pollution, land redevelopment and contaminated land, environmental permits and licences, and waste management.
Counsel also advises developers, as well as individuals, on the procedure and understanding of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) and the EPR 2010, which incorporate several old regulations, including the Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) and Waste Management Licensing (WML) regulations.
The work we undertake within environmental criminal laws and policies covers but is not limited to the following:
- Air pollution
- Cases involving the Waste Directive
- Cases involving the WRAP Protocol
- Climate change
- Contaminated land
- Environmental crime
- Environmental impact assessment
- Re-cycling and re-using materials
- Renewable energy
- 59 applications
- Statutory nuisance claims
- Water pollution
- Waste disposal
- Waste Management Licence Regulations
For legal advice or representation in matters concerning environmental law, please contact us today to speak to an environmental law barrister.