Trustees

Our Trustees are drawn from our wide ranging membership and represent all sectors of environmental law, from barristers to academics and with a range of experience. They are known as the Council and we have 21 elected trustees at present. Our Council is responsible for ensuring UKELA achieves its strategic and charitable aims. Because UKELA is also a limited company, our trustees are also directors. We have a senior team, known as the Executive Committee, which is responsible for the day-to-day running of the organisation. Our Constitution sets our the rules on selection and responsibilities of Council. You can read more on our What We Do page.

If you would like to contact any of our trustees, please get in touch.

Executive Committee

Kirsty Schneeberger MBE, Chair: Kirsty is CEO of Synchronicity Earth, the conservation funder that focuses on funding biodiversity and conservation projects globally. Prior to that she was Head of Strategic Partnerships at ClientEarth and was an advisor to the Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC working on the Paris negotiations. She is a trustee of the Environmental Law Foundation and an adviser to the Intergenerational Foundation. Kirsty believes in the power of law to bring about positive change for the environment.

Nick Whitaker, Honorary Treasurer: Nick qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1977. Until March 2015, when he retired from full time work, he was a partner in BDO LLP (and before that PKF (UK) LLP) providing audit, forensic and corporate finance services. This included work in the charity and not for profit sectors as well as for corporates and Government departments and bodies.

Simone Davidson, Vice Chair: Simone is a solicitor and Head of Environment at LexisPSL. Prior to joining Lexis Nexis she trained and worked at Clyde & Co, where she advised on a broad range of environmental legal issues ranging from regulatory and compliance to transactional risk management and support.

Haydn Davies, Vice Chair: Haydn  is Deputy Director of Research at the School of Law at Birmingham City University. He has a background in both biochemistry and law and his research interests centre around the Environmental Justice Movement and comparative environmental governance.

Philip Hunter, Vice Chair: Phil is a Partner and head of environmental law at leading Scottish law firm Brodies LLP. He advises on a broad range of environmental matters including management of environmental risks and liabilities.

Simon Tilling, Vice Chair: Simon is a partner in Burges Salmon's Environment team and specialises in the resolution of complex environmental disputes in the civil and criminal courts, statutory appeals, compliance and enforcement. Simon is UKELA's Company Secretary.

Ned Westaway, Vice Chair: Ned  is a barrister practising at Francis Taylor Building; he is ranked as a leading junior by Chambers and Partners for environmental law, planning law and agricultural and rural affairs; he is on Attorney General’s panel of counsel and has an LLM (environmental laws) from UCL.

Other Council Members

James Adler: James  is Director of Biodiversity at Surrey Wildlife Trust and national land management advisor to The Wildlife Trusts. He guides trusts on conservation management on over 98,000 hectares of nature reserves whilst helping shape responses to legislation. He has over 15 years’ experience in protecting Surrey’s environment and seeks to inspire a passion in others to do the same.

Karen Blair: Karen is Managing Director of Cleaver Fulton Rankin Solicitors, a leading commercial law practice in Belfast. Karen specialises in planning and environmental law with particular interest in waste, energy, aviation and regeneration.

Lucy Bruce Jones: Lucy is a senior specialist environmental lawyer with a background in environmental engineering, providing environmental advice on corporate and property transactions, renewable energy projects, PFI projects and regulatory compliance issues.

Veneta Cooney: Veneta is a Consultant Physician specialising in Occupational Medicine, and provides advice to both the public and private sectors on how the work environment impacts on both physical and mental well- being. Of particular interest to her is the link between public health and environmental protection.

Estelle Dehon: Estelle  is a barrister at Cornerstone Barristers. She is a leading junior in environment and planning law, with particular expertise in climate change. She was named one of The Planner's Women of Influence in 2018 and 2019.

Christian Jowett: Christian is a barrister at 30 Park Place, Cardiff and door-tenant at Foundry Chambers, London. His environmental law practice focuses on waste law and its interaction with other areas of law. He is a member of the Attorney General’s Regional Panel of Junior Counsel to the Crown (Wales).

Penelope Latorre: Penelope is the head of Environmental Due Diligence and Responsible Investment at Ensphere Group. She is a qualified solicitor in Spain and the UK, specialising in environmental advisory support in the transactional and risk management context.

Emma Lui: Emma is a Policy Advisor at the Office for Nuclear Regulation. She is also an Advisory Board member to Public Interest Environmental Law (PIEL) UK and a volunteer contributor to the Environmental Law Foundation public blog. Emma is a non-practising barrister and has an LLM with Distinction in Environmental and Public Law.

Juliet Munn: Juliet is a planning and environmental lawyer at Town Legal LLP. Juliet has advised on all aspects of planning and environmental law both in the UK but also in New South Wales where she was based for two years. Juliet has been involved in a number of high profile environmental cases and has been an active member of UKELA since 2011.

Warren Percival, Assistant Treasurer: Warren is a Director at RSK Group and has over sixteen years’ experience in environmental consultancy. Warren previously managed RSK's Northern EHS business, and is now the Group Director responsible for due diligence, ESG and expert witness services to the legal and financial sectors.

Nina Pindham: Nina is a specialist planning and environmental law practitioner at No5 Chambers with experience in areas such as controversial minerals development, hazardous substances consents, waste, EIA, SEA, agriculture, water, air quality, and nature conservation issues. Nina has appeared before the High Court, Court of Appeal, and the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee. She is also editor of the Trees chapter in Butterworth’s Planning Law Encyclopedia.

Ben Stansfield: Ben is an environmental lawyer with Gowling WLG, based in London. Ben has a broad environmental practice and advises clients in relation to compliance with complex chemical and product laws, the remediation of contaminated land and water; and the permitting and consenting of infrastructure and industrial processes. Ben has particular expertise in waste matters and corporate disclosure and reporting issues.

Jamie Whittle: Jamie  is a partner at R & R Urquhart based in Forres in the North of Scotland where he advises clients on all aspects of environmental law and rural land law. He is part time lecturer in environmental and renewable energy law at the University of Edinburgh School of Law. He holds an MSc with distinction in human ecology.

Alison York: Alison is a solicitor and Head of Legal in the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. She has over 20 years’ experience practising in environmental law and regulation in the public sector in Scotland. Recent work includes involvement in the development and implementation of SEPA’s new enforcement tools and in the development of the new Integrated Authorisation Framework.