Leonora is a partner on the Environment, Climate and Planning team who provides an advisory, litigation and dispute resolution service to both public bodies and private clients and advises both on their obligations arising under EU and national environmental legislation and caselaw.
Leonora has lengthy experience of advising public bodies in the context of statutory interpretation, consenting and on compliance with complex EU environmental law and public and administrative law obligations. She has represented An Bord Pleanála over the past 6 years in defending Judicial Review challenges to its decisions, and on the environmental, planning and administrative law grounds raised. Leonora also advises private housing and windfarm developers on environmental consenting processes, with pre- application reviews and in JR proceedings as Notice Party or applicant.
Prior to joining the firm Leonora was legal advisor to Dublin City Council for 10 years where she was responsible for delivery of a litigation service including prosecutions, JRs, injunctions and statutory appeals. She advised on regulatory issues concerning Waste Licensing, Social Housing, Housing Standards in Rented Accommodation, Building Control, CPOs, Arbitration, Derelict Sites, and on issues in relation to a “Public Sector Duty” equality review by IHREC.
Leonora has lectured in the Law Society and presented to the Irish Planning Institute, Dublin Solicitor Bar Association, Local Authority Solicitor Bar Association, Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management and the Europol Conference on Environmental Crime. Leonora was a member of the European LIFE funded “Trans-frontier Shipment of Waste” working group which advised other member states on the enforcement of the TFS Regulation.
Representative Matters
Consenting and Advisory Work
Litigation