The annual course held under the auspices of the UK Environmental Law Association’s (UKELA) Nature Conservation Working Party, will this year be held at the Nottingham Offices of Browne Jacobson solicitors from the 9th – 11th November. 

The course is designed to introduce the wildlife law framework in England and Wales focusing upon species and Habitats Regulations Assessments (HRAs) legislation and providing participants with the chance to look at relevant case studies. 

Emphasis will be placed on the practical rather than the academic impact of the law.  The experienced team of course tutors will seek to make the issue come alive by reference to real casework situations and thus to take away some of the mystique attached to law and to de-mystify some of the jargon.  We hope that the course will help participants regard Wildlife Law as a tool which they can use to safeguard sites and species, rather than as the sole preserve of solicitors, lawyers and other legal specialists. 

The course tutors, who all have a wealth of experience in wildlife law, are:

• Andrew Baker, Director, Baker Consultants Ltd
• Richard Barlow, Partner at Browne Jacobson Solicitors
• Ben Standing, Partner at Browne Jacobson Solicitors
• Wyn Jones, retired Head of Habitats Advice, Joint Nature Conservation Committee
• Carl May-Smith, Barrister at Browne Jacobson Solicitors
• Dr Eunice Pinn who works for Seafish, a public body supporting the seafood industry

The cost of the course is £300 per person (which includes one year’s membership of UKELA) and is strictly limited to 25 participants. The cost of the course does not include any travel or accommodation, which is at participant's own expense. Initially organisations will be limited to a maximum of 5 places on the course.

To book your place on this popular course please log in or register. Please take care not to register again if you have already set up an account with us. Once logged in, follow the booking prompts to secure your place. Payment is taken during the booking process.

Programme (subject to change)


Wednesday 9th November
12.00 - Arrival and registration
12.30 - Lunch
13.00 - Introduction to the course and its objectives - Wyn Jones
13.30 - Introduction to wildlife law – a brief overview of the scope and role of wildlife law in the UK and its international context-Wyn Jones
14.00 - Species protection law part 1. This session will look at the law relating to individual animals and plants, concentrating on the criminal offences (and the defences) set out in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Habitats Regulations - Richard Barlow
15.00 -Tea / coffee
15.15 - species protection law part continued addressing species licensing - Richard Barlow
16.00 - Break
16.15 - Species protection – marine perspective - Eunice Pinn
17.00 - Laws of evidence - Carl May-Smith
18.00 - Close

Thursday 10th November
9.00 - Species protection law - case studies. Working in groups participants will examine 2 different case studies and prepare a strategy for licence applications – Andrew Baker
10.00 - Break
10.15 - Species protection law - case studies continued 
11.15 - Tea / coffee
11.30 - Species protection law – summary & conclusions
12.30 - Lunch
13.00 - HRA – addressing the protection afforded to international sites - Bernie Fleming
14.00 - Break
14.15 - HRA continued
15.00 - Tea / coffee
15.15 - HRA – marine perspective - Eunice Pinn
16.15 - Introduction to HRA case study exercises - Bernie. Fleming
17.15 - Close

Friday 11th November
9.00 - site case studies - Bernie Fleming
10.00 - Break
10.15 - site case studies continued
10.45 - tea / coffee
11.00 - Wildlife law from a lawyer’s perspective - Richard Barlow
12.00 - Biodiversity Net Gain - Andrew Baker
12. 45 - Course review / tutors panel Q&A 
13.15 - Lunch
13.45 - Close