“Alice Whittaker “brings clarity to the most complex legal areas.” One client recommended Whittaker for “writing the clearest reports I've received from anybody, in any profession”.” – Chambers Europe

Role: Partner

Practice Areas:
Planning and environmental, health and safety, litigation and dispute resolution

Alice is a top-ranking environmental and planning lawyer, and leads the firm’s Environmental Group. She advises both public and private clients on major transport, environmental, telecommunications, energy and marine infrastructure projects. She also advises operators in connection with applications for environmental permits, licences and certification, and related compliance and enforcement. She has prosecuted and defended planning, waste and health and safety offences in the District and Circuit Courts, and has acted for clients taking and defending judicial review proceedings, section 160 planning injunctions and interlocutory injunctions in environmental cases. She advises the enforcement divisions of many local planning authorities on enforcement practice and procedures and the provisions for enforcement of quarries.

She has particular expertise in the application of and compliance with key European Environmental Directives particularly those relating to Habitats, Integrated Pollution Control and Industrial Emissions, Environmental Impact Assessment, Appropriate Assessment, Urban Waste Water Treatment, Floods, Marine Strategy and Water and Waste Framework Directives.

She advises clients in the green energy sector, including off-shore and on-shore wind, ocean/tidal, biofuel, pumped hydro, geothermal, as well as those in the conventional energy sector. She also advises clients in the pharmaceutical, waste, telecommunications and marine sector, particularly in relation to R&D projects, new products and the roll out of new services.

Qualifications:
Solicitor, Law Society of Ireland (2001)
Bachelor of Law (BCL), University College Dublin (1994 - 1998)

Memberships:
Member of Irish Environmental Law Association
Member of Irish Health and Safety Lawyers Association

Article and Books:

Legal and Policy Developments in the Waste Sector
Irish Planning and Environmental Law Journal (Winter 2009 Edition)

Legal Costs in Environmental Litigation
Public Affairs Ireland (November 2009)

Application of de minimis principles to Competition Authority Enforcement Decisions
Competition Press (November 2009)

Polluter Pays Principle: Water and Waste Charges
Council Review (October 2009)

Rule of Law on Freedom of Access to Environmental Information
Environment Ireland (September 2009)

Environmental Impact Assessment: Split Decision-making Functions
Irish Planning and Environmental Law Journal (Summer 2009 Edition)

Waste Framework Directive: Is it Energy Efficient?
Irish Planning and Environmental Law Journal (Spring 2009 Edition)

Development Contributions and Planning Gain
Construction & Property News (2007)

Prisons Bill 2006
Planning Issues in Public Affairs Ireland, December 2006.

Director and shareholder liability for Contaminated Land Damage
Environment & Energy Ireland (2003)

O’Sullivan & Shepherd’s Irish Planning Law and Practice
(Annual up-date between 2000- 2003) published by Butterworths / LexisNexis

Cartel Leniency Regimes: 2nd Edition
(Irish Chapter 2007-2009) published by the European Lawyer

Lectures, Seminars and Training Workshops: 

Law Society (new) Diploma on Environmental Law and Planning
Contributor and lecturer, 2010 – 2011

Training workshop - Planning and Enforcement Procedures
Kilkenny County Council, March 2011

Whitepaper Conference on new Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010
Invited chairperson of the event, held October 2010 and 3 March 2011.

Engineers Ireland Conference on Habitats Directive
Guest speaker on Habitats and Planning, 1 March 2011

Energy and Environmental Law Conference
CMG Events, 17 February 2011