Environmental law
Our expertise
Our expertise
The Environmental Law team assists private companies (manufacturers, developers, investors) and public entities with the legal management of their projects that have an environmental impact, at all stages: not only during the design, approvals, implementation and litigation phases, but also when ceasing activities or in the context of the sale or acquisition of sites with environmental issues (due diligence, liability guarantees).
It deals with all issues related to environmental regulations (particularly with regard to sites subject to specific environmental protection regulations), whether it be obtaining or securing environmental approval (reviewing impact or hazard studies, providing support in the context of official inquiry, public consultation or public debate procedures), managing the restoration of polluted sites and soils, or managing constraints related to industrial risk control (PPRT) and the protection of biodiversity, water or landscapes (protected species, “Natura 2000” protected areas).
Our team works regularly alongside project owners, industrialists, local authorities and project developers; its members strive to reconcile operational performance and regulatory compliance, in close collaboration with the firm’s other teams (urban planning, energy, corporate).
What we do
- Assistance to project owners in defining and implementing environmental strategies for projects (impact studies, environmental assessments, “ICPE” or “IOTA” authorisations (facilities subject to environmental regulations; facilities, sites and activities likely to have an impact on water and aquatic environments), EPD (Environmental Product Declaration), etc.)
- Support in obtaining, modifying or transferring environmental authorisations
- Analysis and securing files pertaining to contaminated site and soil: diagnostics, responsibilities, post-operation management, sale/acquisition operations
- Advice on regulatory compliance, waste management, risk prevention, nuisance and biodiversity obligations
- Administrative and judicial litigation related to authorisations and administrative sanctions, environmental liability or pollution with long-term impacts
- Advising and defending of operators in their relations with the environmental administration (DREAL, prefects, ministries) and third parties
Among our files
- Advising an investor on the steps to be taken for environmental compliance of a portfolio of sites in France
- Assistance to public entities (joint associations, public institutions, local authorities) and private operators in obtaining environmental authorisations (review of application files, analysis of constraints, legal assistance, support during public consultation, determination of the administrative timetable, etc.)
- Management of numerous administrative disputes relating to environmental authorisations (defence or, where applicable, appeals against them) and exemptions for protected species
- Support for clients operating ICPEs (sites/facilities subject to specific environmental protection regulations) in matters of administrative or criminal liability related to the operation of their sites
- Assistance to a private project owner in coordinating its environmental procedures in the context of a major wind power project