Stephen Hockman QC wins landmark challenge against the UK

The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee, an authoritative international tribunal, has released recommendations in a case brought by ClientEarth that should change the way UK courts operate to allow citizens access to environmental justice. The ruling states that the UK’s current legal processes cost too much and the unreasonable financial risks involved in bringing a case mean the UK is failing to meet its obligations under the Aarhus Convention, a UN convention which it ratified in 2005.

To comply with its obligations under the Convention, the government must fundamentally change the way UK courts operate to allow citizens access to environmental justice. The UK courts are out of line with all other EU countries on the costs citizens face when they fight for their rights.

Head of Chambers at Six Pump Court,  Stephen Hockman QC represented ClientEarth, a non-profit environmental law organisation, based in London, Brussels and Warsaw.