Environmental Law

Environmental compliance and liability issues are now part of everyday life for most businesses – be they engaged in evidently hazardous activities or otherwise. Regulatory demands, however, continue to grow in response to increasingly international environmental concerns and throw up more and more compliance issues, as well as liability issues in business transactions. To steer successfully through this regulatory jungle requires specialist expertise on a global scale.

As one of the first law firms to develop a global integrated environmental law practice, we are able to provide both transactional and stand alone advice in all the major areas of environmental and health and safety law at national, regional and international levels.

Insight

In January 2008, the European Commission published its proposals for a package of legislation on climate change and energy matters, among them a proposal for changes to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) for the post-2012 period.
With its proposals on the Carbon Reduction Commitment, the UK Government has CO2 emissions from non-industrial sectors in its sights for the first time. In just over a year's time, a vast array of organisations (including those with offices, in the retail sector or running schools and hospitals) will have to buy allowances from the Government to cover their emissions arising from their energy use.

deals & cases

Allen & Overy LLP has acted as English law advisers to Dana Petroleum plc on its agreement to acquire Bow Valley Energy Ltd for a cash consideration of CAD0.50 per share, representing an aggregate consideration of CAD219 million (USD177m).
Allen & Overy LLP advised on GE Healthcare's USD1.09 billion acquisition of NASDAQ-listed Vital Signs, Inc., a global provider of disposable anesthesia, respiratory, sleep therapy and emergency medicine products.
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