Warburton Attorneys advises on sustainability law and policy issues for a broad range of clients including: other law firms, environmental consultancies, large industrial and mining clients, small to medium-sized industrial operations, government agencies and private nature reserves.
Projects We Work On
We were the first law firm in South Africa to offer climate change legal services as far back as 2000. We have advised on multiple CDM and other mitigation projects such as Carbon Offset Projects over the years. Warburton Attorneys is currently part of the team that is developing and reviewing the first set of Carbon Budget and Mitigation Plan Regulations in South Africa.
Energy Projects (including Renewable Energy)
Warburton Attorneys is advising numerous renewable energy companies on environmental legal issues and risks associated with the development of new projects across the country. We have assisted with various disputes between wind farms arising out of wake impacts. Warburton Attorneys has also concluded numerous environmental legal due diligence investigations of wind and solar energy facilities and hydro projects, investigations focussing on the storage of fuel, as well as the independent procurement of power. We are currently representing a wind energy developer in two High Court review applications and commercial negotiations.
We are currently representing agricultural landowners affected by a large natural gas extraction project.
Over the course of the past twenty years Warburton Attorneys have advised many natural resources, mining, extractive industry clients in a variety of matters, including conducting regulatory due diligences, providing transaction advice, advising on regulatory approval requirements, and compliance-related advice. We have also compiled numerous appeals and/or responses to appeals for clients relating to the issue of, or the failure to issue regulatory approvals, such as environmental authorisations and water use licences, as well as respond to compliance notices and directives. We have also conducted a number of compliance evaluations across a range of industrial and mining operations and have advised on contaminated land issues for a number of years.
We further assist with mine closure applications, including High Court litigation associated with these applications.
Warburton Attorneys advised the Gautrain Management Agency on the environmental legal aspects of the Gautrain project.
The Dube Trade Port (DTP) is the evolving trade infrastructure hub associated with the King Shaka International Airport on South Africa’s east coast. Warburton Attorneys has worked with the DTP Corporation on various environmental matters.
We have also provided advice to various road development project teams and on certain Bus Rapid Transit projects.
Warburton Attorneys has assisted various retailers with a range of waste-related procedural and contractual matter
Environmental Consulting Companies
We provide ad hoc environmental legal advice to various environmental consulting companies, including but not limited to, advice related to EIAs and other environmental authorisation processes. Warburton Attorneys has been involved in a wide range of projects in this capacity across various sectors.
Warburton Attorneys has acted for a number of private nature reserves on environmental-related matters. It has assisted private reserves with objecting to development applications which would impact on our clients’ operations. We assist with biodiversity-related legal advice for these reserves as well as with land owner and reserve management legal disputes. We also provide advice and ongoing support for the development of new lodges or the declaration of protected areas.
We provide a full range of dispute resolution services on environmental matters including High Court litigation and arbitration. We provide these services in conjunction with specialist advocates who have many years of experience in environmental matters.
Warburton Attorneys has been involved in a number of arbitrations concerning the apportionment of environmental liabilities.
Warburton Attorneys is further acting for an accused entity in a private criminal prosecution in terms of section 33 of the National Environment Management Act 107 of 1998 in the High Court of South Africa and in a related NEMA section(34) 3 enquiry.
For further information regarding projects or experience in a particular area or discipline, please contact us.
