EU law & Governmental liaision

EU Environmental Law is the bedrock of all waste and industrial regulation and liability in the UK and most of Europe. It is rare for a point of law in any of these areas not to have some critical reference point under EU law, whether in the founding Treaties or in directly applicable EU Regulations or in the plethora of EU environmental directives or in the vast body of case law handed down by the European Court of Justice over the past half century.

All of this law has a more direct influence on UK law and regulation than is sometimes appreciated. This ‘EU impact’ is unavoidable. Indeed, it is dangerous to assess legal positions under UK law and regulation without careful consultation of the overriding EU legislation, case law and, in some instances, European Commission Decisions and Guidance.

The vast majority of Vincent Brown’s projects have been directly touched by issues of EU law, and in some cases have involved direct relationships with the European Commission and in others the actual application of EU law to UK circumstances. The landmark victory in the leading case of OSS Group Ltd v Environment Agency was an ‘EU law’ case which would have been referred to the European Court of Justice had not the Court of Appeal considered that the EU law arguments advanced by Vincent Brown and the barrister team were sufficiently clear and correct.

EU Law services

  • Application of current EU law to your sector / business
  • Assessment of UK regulation of your sector / business in light of overriding EU law
  • Full Member State ‘conformity’ service
  • Real liability exposure and how to deal with it
  • Future-proofing against new EU law impacts on your sector
  • Cross-border advice pack using our EU-27 network
  • Cross-border end of waste service
  • Cross-border industrial by-products service
UK Government + EU engagement

  • Expert bespoke consultation response service geared to your business
  • Specific expert lobbying service:
    • Legal accuracy in parliamentary representations/lobbying
    • Network in Westminster and Brussels
  • Formal complaints + Submissions:
    • European Commission
    • Parliamentary Ombudsman
    • UK Government departments – DEFRA, DECC, DBIS
    • Devolved Administrations
    • Environment Agency
    • SEPA
    • Northern Ireland Environment Agency

 

Testimonials

Martin provided an invaluable mentoring and assessment service during my successful attainment of the WAMITAB Level NVQ4 COTC qualification. His friendly and supportive approach was excellent and helped me gain the qualification in less than three months. As a result of my experience, and 5 years later when I had two employees who needed to qualify for NVQ3 COTC, I contacted Martin and he supported them through their successful attainment. I would definitely recommend Martin to anyone wanting to gain similar qualifications.

Scott Williams

Strategic Client Officer Cheltenham Borough and Cotswold District Councils

2016-05-18T11:58:57+00:00

Scott Williams

Strategic Client Officer Cheltenham Borough and Cotswold District Councils

Martin provided an invaluable mentoring and assessment service during my successful attainment of the WAMITAB Level NVQ4 COTC qualification. His friendly and supportive approach was excellent and helped me gain the qualification in less than three months. As a result of my experience, and 5 years later when I had two employees who needed to qualify for NVQ3 COTC, I contacted Martin and he supported them through their successful attainment. I would definitely recommend Martin to anyone wanting to gain similar qualifications.
During the last 5 years I have worked with Chris Williamson on environmental permit judicial review proceedings, a permit appeal Public Inquiry, a planning permission appeal and various other cases. Chris is a very able no compromise environmental consultant who will look for many angles to defend a client’s best interests in times of adversity

Gordon Wignall

Barrister, 6 Pump Court Chambers

2016-06-21T04:22:48+00:00

Gordon Wignall

Barrister, 6 Pump Court Chambers

During the last 5 years I have worked with Chris Williamson on environmental permit judicial review proceedings, a permit appeal Public Inquiry, a planning permission appeal and various other cases. Chris is a very able no compromise environmental consultant who will look for many angles to defend a client’s best interests in times of adversity
As a specialist solicitor engaged in all types of regulatory, contractual, advisory, due diligence and litigation work in the fields of waste, pollution and industrial law, I have worked with Chris Williamson many times, and have found his technical and commercial acumen in these areas to be absolutely indispensable. Whether (for example) challenging government actions or framing difficult and highly specialist ‘end of waste’ cases, Chris’ many years of in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience of commercial industrial processes and the critical nitty-gritty of practical chemistry, are in my experience an essential part of a successful legal or regulatory process – no more so than when he drove the technical agenda (and heavily influenced the legal strategy) that won the groundbreaking OSS v Environment Agency end of waste ruling in the Court of Appeal. I unhesitatingly recommend him to lawyers and commercial operators working in this area.

Vincent Brown

Principal, Vincent Brown Associates

Specialist UK and EU Waste & Environment Law Practice

2016-06-21T04:22:10+00:00

Vincent Brown

Principal, Vincent Brown Associates

Specialist UK and EU Waste & Environment Law Practice

As a specialist solicitor engaged in all types of regulatory, contractual, advisory, due diligence and litigation work in the fields of waste, pollution and industrial law, I have worked with Chris Williamson many times, and have found his technical and commercial acumen in these areas to be absolutely indispensable. Whether (for example) challenging government actions or framing difficult and highly specialist ‘end of waste’ cases, Chris’ many years of in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience of commercial industrial processes and the critical nitty-gritty of practical chemistry, are in my experience an essential part of a successful legal or regulatory process – no more so than when he drove the technical agenda (and heavily influenced the legal strategy) that won the groundbreaking OSS v Environment Agency end of waste ruling in the Court of Appeal. I unhesitatingly recommend him to lawyers and commercial operators working in this area.
I have known Chris Williamson since 2006 and he has provided environmental & waste advice to CSG on an ongoing basis since 2011. His range of consultancy services are extremely diverse including waste treatment process design & build, project finance models, business plans, joint venture agreements, planning applications, permit applications, appeals, regulatory disputes, commercial dispute resolution, End of Waste applications, quasi legal advice, tied oil schemes, new initiatives etc. I have used most, if not all of these services over the past five years to the benefit of the company so I would highly recommend Chris to any organisation requiring expert environmental support and advice in the waste and industrial sectors.

Neil Richards

Managing Director, Cleansing Service Group

2016-06-21T04:20:31+00:00

Neil Richards

Managing Director, Cleansing Service Group

I have known Chris Williamson since 2006 and he has provided environmental & waste advice to CSG on an ongoing basis since 2011. His range of consultancy services are extremely diverse including waste treatment process design & build, project finance models, business plans, joint venture agreements, planning applications, permit applications, appeals, regulatory disputes, commercial dispute resolution, End of Waste applications, quasi legal advice, tied oil schemes, new initiatives etc. I have used most, if not all of these services over the past five years to the benefit of the company so I would highly recommend Chris to any organisation requiring expert environmental support and advice in the waste and industrial sectors.
I have used Protreat’s services over the last few years and have been delighted with the quality of work carried out. As a regulatory lawyer who often requires specialist guidance and assistance on waste management issues, I have found Chris Williamson’s knowledge and understanding of environmental legalisation, second to none. I have found Protreat to be accessible, responsive, innovative and above all thorough. Consequently, I have always received a service of the highest quality and would have no hesitation in recommending them to others

Tom Cleary

Partner , Knights

Solicitors

2016-06-21T04:20:31+00:00

Tom Cleary

Partner , Knights

Solicitors

I have used Protreat’s services over the last few years and have been delighted with the quality of work carried out. As a regulatory lawyer who often requires specialist guidance and assistance on waste management issues, I have found Chris Williamson’s knowledge and understanding of environmental legalisation, second to none. I have found Protreat to be accessible, responsive, innovative and above all thorough. Consequently, I have always received a service of the highest quality and would have no hesitation in recommending them to others
We met Martin when he was appointed as our Assessor by QSP Training, to mentor and assess one of our employees through a Level 2 WAMITAB NVQ. After our employee successfully attained this qualification, we called Martin back to help us tackle the challenges that presented themselves after we acquired the skip hire and waste transfer station business. Martin helped us with the permit transfer, and assisted with the organisational documentation that was required by the Environment Agency. In addition, and of equal importance, he mentored and provided guidance to my partner with his WAMITAB Level 4 waste transfer station management award, which resulted in him gaining his Certificate of Technical Competence, an operational condition of the sites waste permit. We would highly recommend Martin to any company needing assistance with any safety, environmental, quality or waste issues in their business.

Nicki Griffiths

Partner Ludlow Skip Hire

2016-05-18T12:01:53+00:00

Nicki Griffiths

Partner Ludlow Skip Hire

We met Martin when he was appointed as our Assessor by QSP Training, to mentor and assess one of our employees through a Level 2 WAMITAB NVQ. After our employee successfully attained this qualification, we called Martin back to help us tackle the challenges that presented themselves after we acquired the skip hire and waste transfer station business. Martin helped us with the permit transfer, and assisted with the organisational documentation that was required by the Environment Agency. In addition, and of equal importance, he mentored and provided guidance to my partner with his WAMITAB Level 4 waste transfer station management award, which resulted in him gaining his Certificate of Technical Competence, an operational condition of the sites waste permit. We would highly recommend Martin to any company needing assistance with any safety, environmental, quality or waste issues in their business.