Biggart Baillie LLP

With the ever increasing political and business focus on the environment, the impact of environmental law is growing in importance and complexity. Our team of experienced environmental law experts can provide the legal support you require, whether in assessing risk or dealing with issues which may arise. There is more to environmental law than popular fiction would suggest. Stereotypes of virtuous environmental campaigners and evil opposing businesses are as inaccurate as the perception that environmental law is all about the imposition of new restrictions, red tape and liabilities. The more effective use of raw materials and energy, extending the product life cycle, recycling, minimising waste and more efficient working practices, methods and distribution all contribute to improved business efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, effective environmental compliance and a positive attitude to corporate social responsibility can be beneficial in market and customer perceptions of a business and its brand. However, environmental law is not as effective or clear as it might be. It does create obligations and liabilities which carry risks or other business threats. This is mainly a regulatory area of law and there can be a lot of red tape and bewilderingly complex (and frequently changing) statutory provisions. Our experts provide focused and pragmatic advice on this wide ranging area of law which will allow you to maximise available opportunities and avoid the varied potential pitfalls and traps. The adoption of better environmental practice often corresponds with better business practice. What we do... Services available from the environmental team include: Corporate and property due diligence Operational consent and compliance advice Risk and liability allocation negotiations Contingency planning and response Regulatory relationship management Environmental insurance Environmental information and disclosure Environmental impact assessment Legislation and policy monitoring Dispute management and litigation The areas covered by these services include: Industrial processes Infrastructure projects Renewable energy schemes Waste (including waste water) management, transport and disposal Decommissioning, recycling and recovery operations Land remediation and reinstatement Radioactive contamination Water: abstraction, drainage, flood defence and treatment Food quality and safety issues Nature conservation Climate change levy and emissions trading Environmental taxation and reliefs Our clients range from multi-national and utility companies to major retailers and property developers to academic institutions and regulatory authorities to small local business and individual claimants. In each case, we seek to understand our client’s needs and objectives and seek to obtain the most appropriate outcome for them.