Environmental Law

Brexit Update

October 24th

Edinburgh

Environmental Law and Brexit: Key opportunities and risks

October 24th

1:30 - 5:30pm

Speaker: Susan Shaw

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£180+VAT
£135+VAT (Member price)

4hrs CPD

Although Brexit is posing significant legal challenges across all sectors of the UK, environmental law is perhaps amongst those most profoundly impacted. By their very nature, environmental issues do not respect artificial man-made political borders. Regardless of the eventual outcome of ongoing negotiations, these uncertainties are having profound legal impacts now.

This session will therefore provide an overview of some of the most important developments in this fast-paced field over the last year, as well as those on the horizon. This is particularly timely with the detail of the planned UK Environmental Principles and Governance Bill expected in the autumn to give effect to the UK Government’s commitment to ensure that environmental protections are not weakened as we leave the EU.

The seminar will be of broad relevance across central and local government practitioners, to those in regulatory agencies, non-governmental organisations and private practice alike. By the end of the session, you will have gained a useful insight into the key uncertainties facing the sector at this time, some of the bigger picture international law dimensions that need to be borne in mind to mitigate risks, as well as key areas where your clients can seek to influence the legislative direction of travel.

The session will include coverage of the following:

  • Legal, Policy and Governance Update – including, the 25 Year Plan and forthcoming Environmental Principles and Governance Bill, as well as related devolved developments.
  • Key International developments in the environmental field: the UN Framework Principles on Human Rights and the Environment; a comparative law update with key legislative and case-law trends regarding the right to a safe and healthy environment.
  • Environmental Law in a Transboundary Context – the Espoo Convention, how civil society can use it and some notable recent findings of the implementation committee.
  • The event begins at 1:30pm. Delegate registration is open from 1pm.

    Susan is the Managing Partner and founder of Living Law – a public interest law firm specialising in environmental and human rights issues. The firm’s overall mission is to support access to environmental justice in line with the UNECE Aarhus Convention. Susan has around 15 years’ experience working across a range of perspectives in the environmental and public law fields. She has worked in central and local Government, regulatory agencies, environmental NGOs and private practice. Between 2015 – 2017, she built out the pan-European EU Energy & Coal litigation project for ClientEarth. She is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law and an observer to the UN Minamata Convention on Mercury. She holds an LLM in International Law. Her experience covers a diverse mix of contentious and non-contentious matters in the environmental, public administration, human rights and energy fields. The firm has been active on environmental safeguarding issues in the Brexit context, including providing evidence to the UK House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee on the 25 Year Plan Inquiry.