Environment

Michael Wood, Environment
The Burness environment team acts in some of the UK’s largest publicised deals. Singled out by Chambers as “being prolific in waste and water work”, we have first-rate contentious and non-contentious environmental credentials across the public and private sectors.

Whether you are a prospective developer or a local authority needing legal advice on contaminated land, a lender concerned about environmental risk exposure, or operating a business facing regulatory issues, we can help by drawing together technical expertise and sector specific knowledge.

We also focus on helping clients to develop environmental management strategies so as to manage risk, improve profitability and contribute to their corporate social responsibility policies.

At Burness, we’re recognised as ‘thinking outside the box’ to come up with novel solutions to overcome environmental issues that may be causing projects to be delayed. Urban Regeneration Companies (URCs) have a vital role in remediation of contaminated land within Scotland. Burness set up five out of the six of the URCs - and we act for the private sector partner in relation to the sixth URC. It’s this kind of hands-on experience that gives us the edge in land remediation projects.

Our contentious practice works with regulatory authorities, creating robust legal arguments to avoid enforcement action and excessive costs. Where such negotiations are not possible - or fruitful - we are experienced in raising and defending the most complex litigation actions.