5.5 CPD Points (Barristers) 5.5 General CPD Points (Solicitors)

The annual ICEL Environmental Law conference took place this year in the Royal Irish Academy on 26th October. The theme of this year’s event was “Pollution, legal challenges in modern Ireland.”

Some of the leading Irish and international speakers included Prof Yvonne Scannell, Jarlath Fitzsimons SC, Alan Doyle, Dr Aine Ryall and Robert Bilott of Taft Stettinius & Hollister, Ohio. Robert is famous for exposing a decades-long chemical pollution. He is described by the New York Times as “DuPont’s worst nightmare”. For more details of Robert’s cases against DuPont, see this article from the New York Times

The conference started at 10am and finished at 4:30. The programme is available here

Speakers, topics and chairs

The Hon. Ms Justice Marie Baker – Chair

The Hon. John D. Cooke SC – Chair

Robert Bilott, Partner, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, Ohio – David v Goliath – Litigation and large scale industrial pollution – private enforcement and regulatory control

Prof Yvonne Scannell – Problems and perspectives – Liability for environmental pollution

Alison Fanagan, Consultant, A&L Goodbody – Case study – waste management enforcement in action: the Ferry case in Donegal

Jarlath Fitzsimons SC – Water Framework Directive …everywhere, but not a drop to drink? Regulatory and civil liability for water pollution

Dr Aine Ryall, Senior Lecturer, UCC – Pollution, the public and the rule of law

Alan Doyle, Partner, Barry Doyle & Co Solicitors – Skinning Smaller Cats – the difficulty of bringing small environmental claims

Aisling Kelly BL, EPA Fellow 2017 – A whiff of danger: The prosecution of air pollution crimes