National law firm Freeths has further improved its market leading Planning and Environment Group with the hiring of director Ben Derrington in Bristol, who joins the team from Ashfords LLP.

With more than 17 years’ legal experience and a technical background in environmental science, Ben advises listed companies, public utilities, environmental regulators and businesses on all environmental issues. He has acted for high profile businesses across the key sectors of waste, energy, agriculture, construction and manufacturing.

Ben has a particular focus on environmental permitting, complex end-of-waste matters, defence of enforcement action, energy from waste, pollution incidents, contaminated land, water resources, climate change, ESG and risk management.  

At Freeths, he will work alongside the real estate and corporate teams nationally to enhance the firm’s offering.

Commenting on the appointment, partner Penny Simpson, who leads the Environmental Law team at Freeths, said: “Ben’s expert skills in advising clients on key environmental law areas will broaden and strengthen our national capability which covers all areas of environmental regulation, both existing and emerging.”

Paul Brailsford, National Head of Planning and Environment at Freeths, continued: “Ben is an exceptional lawyer and his arrival into Bristol alongside director Richard Broadbent who joined from Natural England earlier in the year reflects the Planning and Environment Group’s ambition of establishing a first-class team in the southwest. This is consistent with our aspiration for growth nationally throughout the Freeths network of offices which has also seen the recent arrival of highly regarded planning and environmental partner Alison Ogley in Leeds.”

Ben Derrington added: “I am delighted to be joining Freeths at such an exciting time. The environmental agenda is at a watershed moment and the firm’s Environmental Law team has such strength, in-depth and specialist knowledge that it will be one of very few environmental law teams positioned to help clients with all the opportunities and challenges posed by the new era of environmental regulation.”