All About Law Blog: Heathrow expansion, period poverty and more

Mar 04, 2020

Written By Tuula Petersen

In this week’s edition of the AllAboutLaw blog, we discuss the Court of Appeal’s Heathrow expansion decision as well as Scotland’s passing of a bill to end period poverty. We also touch on a corruption scandal originating from the 2008 financial crisis.

An end to the Heathrow expansion?

In a decision celebrated by climate activists, the UK Court of Appeal has blocked plans to construct a third runway at Heathrow.

The plan included a budget of $18 billion to accommodate an additional 260,000 flights per year. The Department for Transportation argued such an expansion would boost the British economy particularly following the UK’s exit from the European Union by December 2020.

The plan was challenged by the environmentalist group, Friends of the Earth, which claimed that the additional runway would contradict pledges made by the UK government in signing the 2016 Paris agreement to limit a global temperature increase to 1.5 celsius. It was argued the Heathrow expansion would increase carbon emissions and air pollution, thus contributing to climate change concerns. Will Rundle, head of legal at Friends of the Earth, celebrated the Court of Appeal’s judgment: “It’s time for developers and public authorities to be held to account when it comes to the climate impact of their damaging developments”.

However, the Court of Appeal did not completely rule out an airport expansion, stating that a third runway could go ahead as long as it abides by the country’s climate policy. Further, the Court of Appeal’s judgment is unlikely to be the final voice on the matter as the Heathrow chief executive, John Holland-Kaye, mentioned the airport would challenge the decision at the Supreme Court. The UK government has said it will not appeal the court’s decision.

The Court of Appeal’s decision is considered groundbreaking as it marks the first case to explicitly refer to the Paris Agreement to rule against a significant infrastructure project.

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“Engaging children at a young age in the fundamentals of the rule of law is the beginning of them understanding how our society runs and the crucial rule they can play within it”

Mark Mansell, a partner at Allen & Overy, speaking in favour of Justice Week’s campaign to teach the rule of law in primary schools

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Firm News

Baker McKenzie is the first law firm to shut down its London office as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus.

KPMG has launched a legal arm in Thailand, advising on commercial and corporate law.

Hogan Lovells has increased its bonuses for all its qualified solicitors with the exception of its partners. Such as raise could see associates and councils rewarded with over £200,000 in compensation.

Sherman & Sterling has appointed Lorna Chen as Asia’s regional managing partner.

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An end to period poverty in Scotland?

The Scottish Parliament approved a bill to make sanitary products free to all women. The bill, otherwise known as The Period Products (Free Provision) Scotland Bill, has to pass through three separate stages before being sent to the Queen for Royal Assent for confirmation. If the bill is successful Scotland would be the first country to offer free sanitary products to women. For the time being, its enactment seems likely since the bill passed the first stage of Scotland’s lawmaking procedure almost unanimously.

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It is not too early to apply to training contracts! While the deadlines may seem way off, it is a good idea to get your application in early, especially if the firm reviews applications on a rolling basis. Make sure to visit our jobs page now to browse the latest openings.

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A 2008 corruption scandal comes to a close

The corruption charges against former Barclays’ executives were dropped as the Old Bailey found them not guilty. Over two years ago, three senior executives at the bank were charged with fraud by lying to the stock market during the 2008 financial crisis. The allegations related to Barclays’ ambition to expand its international presence by expanding to Wall Street. Roger Jenkins was appointed to acquire investment from sovereign wealth funds in the Middle East. It was these 2008 fund-raising strategies that were investigated by the Financial Services Authority.

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All About Law Blog: Heathrow expansion, period poverty and more

An end to the Heathrow expansion?

“Engaging children at a young age in the fundamentals of the rule of law is the beginning of them understanding how our society runs and the crucial rule they can play within it”

Mark Mansell, a partner at Allen & Overy, speaking in favour of Justice Week’s campaign to teach the rule of law in primary schools

Firm News

An end to period poverty in Scotland?

A 2008 corruption scandal comes to a close

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