Ranking tables
Environment & Climate Change | UK
London (Firms)
Rankings overview for Departments
Band 2
Band 3
Senior Statespeople
Star Individuals
Band 1
Band 2
- Andrew Hedges Baker McKenzie16 Years Ranked
- Angus Evers Shoosmiths LLP19 Years Ranked
- Ben Stansfield Gowling WLG (UK) LLP16 Years Ranked
- Jonathan Isted Freshfields27 Years Ranked
- Nicholas Rock DLA Piper LLP19 Years Ranked
- Nigel Howorth Clifford Chance LLP21 Years Ranked
- Rachel Barrett Linklaters10 Years Ranked
Band 3
- Chris Papanicolaou Jones Day21 Years Ranked
- Chris Staples Linklaters19 Years Ranked
- Georgie Messent PwC Legal Business Solutions19 Years Ranked
- Graham Stuart Baker McKenzie16 Years Ranked
- Julie Vaughan Reed Smith LLP10 Years Ranked
- Lucy Bruce Jones Norton Rose Fulbright5 Years Ranked
- Michael Green Latham & Watkins16 Years Ranked
- Nigel Price Macfarlanes LLP16 Years Ranked
- Samantha Brady Slaughter and May10 Years Ranked
- Samuel E Boileau Dentons18 Years Ranked
- Tallat Hussain Reed Smith LLP9 Years Ranked
- Vanessa Jakovich Freshfields9 Years Ranked
Band 4
- Adam Hedley Clifford Chance LLP8 Years Ranked
- Helen Bowdren Dentons6 Years Ranked
- John Buttanshaw Travers Smith LLP3 Years Ranked
- Michael Hutchinson Mayer Brown International LLP21 Years Ranked
- Sinéad Oryszczuk CMS6 Years Ranked
- Tim Baines Mayer Brown International LLP2 Years Ranked
- Steven McNabCleantech Cadre Limited
Up and Coming
Star Associates
All Departments profiles
Band 1
1 CMSEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 1 | 2 Years RankedCMS houses a leading group with an extremely broad range of capabilities, offering recognised expertise in both contentious and non-contentious environmental law. The firm's areas of strength include permitting, energy efficiency, climate change and contamination issues, alongside notable experience of transactions involving significant environmental risk. It has a wide-ranging client base including government entities, financial institutions and major corporates. The team is also able to provide clients with strategic advice on environmental compliance obligations.1 Latham & WatkinsEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 1 | 2 Years RankedLatham & Watkins has a highly skilled team that has experience across a wide range of environmental matters and benefits from the firm's high-quality corporate and finance offering. It handles the environmental and climate change aspects of numerous cross-border transactions, often analysing potential environmental risks, as well as advising on ESG corporate reporting. The firm demonstrates experience in contentious matters, including high-profile environmental class actions. Its lawyers act for an impressive array of leading corporates, energy companies and investors.1 LinklatersEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 1 | 2 Years RankedLinklaters advises numerous international clients on the overlap between health and safety and environmental law, often within the context of planned project finance or asset transactions. It offers expertise in low-carbon and climate change mandates, alongside considerable strength in handling regulatory and civil litigation matters relating to contaminated land and water pollution. The firm counts a number of leading corporates and financial institutions among its distinguished client base. It is also active in assisting consumer goods companies with the environmental law aspects of transactions.
Band 2
2 A&O ShearmanEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 2 | 2 Years RankedA&O Shearman is a trusted adviser to clients across non-profits, financial institutions and companies in power and hydrogen. Its team handles carbon matters, climate change agreements and decarbonisation work. It shows further involvement in power agreements, regulatory and contentious work.2 AshurstEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 2 | 2 Years RankedAshurst acts for a wide range of clients on environmental transactions, litigation and projects. It is recommended for its advice on acquisitions, sustainability and ESG-related matters. The firm regularly assists clients with an array of regulatory and environmental permitting matters.2 DentonsEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 2 | 2 Years RankedDentons is recommended for its excellent industry knowledge, particularly within the energy sector. It handles a mixture of transactional and regulatory work with a strong track record in both international and domestic M&A transactions that entail significant environmental liability and compliance issues. The firm also handles Environmental Agency investigations, and offers further experience in ESG matters.2 Norton Rose FulbrightEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 2 | 2 Years RankedNorton Rose Fulbright advises on all stages of infrastructure, energy and residential development projects. Its advice spans the analysis of contaminated land and potential remediation costs, through to post-acquisition environmental permitting and planning applications. The department offers proven expertise in waste matters, including waste-to-energy projects and advice on waste transportation. It also demonstrates additional sectoral strengths in the commodities and transport fields. The team works in tandem with the firm's energy practice to advise clients on issues such as climate change and air pollution.2 Travers Smith LLPEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 2 | 2 Years RankedTravers Smith is notable for its expertise in regulations governing the production and distribution of chemical and electrical products in Europe, acting for a strong client roster including major US and Asian corporate clients. The team offers environmental advice on a variety of commercial transactions and projects ranging from high-value energy or chemicals deals through to smaller transactions that have significant contamination implications. It also advises international funds on compliance with carbon reporting requirements, and assists corporate and financial-sector clients in developing governance policies to limit environmental risk.
Band 3
3 Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLPEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 3 | 2 Years RankedBryan Cave Leighton Paisner has a strong reputation for its advice on environmental issues associated with major development projects, corporate transactions and real estate matters. Its lawyers advise on issues concerning contaminated land, water pollution and waste. The firm is known for its handling of environmental insurance work. In addition, it frequently advises clients on the environmental regulatory compliance aspects of real estate and corporate transactions.3 Clifford Chance LLPEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 3 | 2 Years RankedClifford Chance frequently deals with international matters, leveraging its broad network of global offices to handle major transactional and development mandates. It offers deep experience co-ordinating the environmental aspects of inbound and outbound investments into low-carbon, energy-from-waste or gas-fired power generation businesses, alongside roles advising on the environmental aspects of UK nuclear projects. The firm also advises corporates in relation to compliance with chemical regulations and GHG reporting regulations.3 DLA Piper UK LLPEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 3 | 2 Years RankedDLA Piper offers a broad practice in a variety of contentious and non-contentious environmental matters. The firm advises notable clients in the technology, chemicals and financial services sectors. It also offers advice on amendments to ESG-related legislation, including the EU Corporate Sustainability Directive.3 FreshfieldsEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 3 | 2 Years RankedFreshfields regularly handles large environmental litigation cases, including the defence of high-profile pollution claims. The firm acts on permitting and environmental compliance matters for clients in the oil and nuclear sectors. It assists global manufacturers and oil companies with Environment Agency investigations and prosecutions in cases of marine pollution. In addition, the team also advises on regulation and environmental issues in commercial transactions.
Band 4
4 Baker McKenzieEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 4 | 2 Years RankedBaker McKenzie acts for a wide range of national and international corporates on compliance with WEEE, energy efficiency and emissions regulations. It also offers expertise in handling regulatory investigations and product regulation. The team operates as part of a global climate change offering, advising key international clients on emissions trading matters. It is routinely instructed by clients from the technology and manufacturing sectors.4 Herbert Smith FreehillsEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 4 | 2 Years RankedHerbert Smith Freehills offers in-depth knowledge of the environmental regulations governing energy and infrastructure projects, such as nuclear and power transmission projects. The firm also advises on environmental risk in corporate/M&A transactions and issues of contaminated land liability, including in relation to the sale and purchase of brownfield sites.4 Mayer Brown International LLPEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 4 | 2 Years RankedMayer Brown is recognised for its notable environment practice. The firm advises high-profile clients on a range of complex environmental issues surrounding corporate transactions, EU allowances and regulatory challenges. It advises clients in sectors such as chemicals, financial services and energy, among others.4 Slaughter and MayEnvironment & Climate Change2025 | Band 4 | 1 Years RankedSlaughter and May enters the rankings this year in recognition of its diverse environment practice. The group advises on climate transition plans and ESG mandates, with a regulatory focus. Clients range from energy companies to financial institutions.