Laura accepts briefs in all areas of law.
She has particular expertise in climate change and other environmental issues. Broadly, her practice includes appearance and advice work relating to regulatory proceedings, competition and consumer law, corporate disclosure, impact assessment and administrative law, planning law, criminal prosecutions, and inquires. .
Since coming to the bar, she has been briefed in matters involving:
- misleading or deceptive conduct concerning climate and environmental credentials
- judicial review of government decisions, including major project approval decisions
- climate change attribution and complex causation
- adaptation planning and planning objections; and
- environmental protection, including under the EPBC Act and state legislation.
Laura enjoys working with experts and expert evidence.
Laura is a lecturer at Sydney Law School, and Deputy Director of the Australian Centre for Climate and Environmental Law. She teaches the subject Environmental and Climate Science in Court, and tutors Land Law. She publishes in leading academic journals and supervises Honours and PhD students on topics relating to climate change litigation.
Before coming to the bar, Laura practised as a solicitor in planning and environmental law (DLA Piper), and served as the Foote post doctoral fellow in Climate Solutions at the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, where she advised government and industry as well as the former US VP Al Gore, chairman of the Climate Reality Project.
Laura holds a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Melbourne (Planning and Environmental Law Prize); a Master of Environment (First Class Hons, Dean’s Prize); and a PhD in environmental law (APAAward; Endeavour Australia Award). She attended Columbia Law School’s Sabin Center for Climate Law as a visiting scholar and Oxford University’s Law Faculty as a visiting academic before commencing her postdoctoral fellowship. She is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law.
Laura read with Katherine Brazenor and her senior mentors are Juliet Forsyth SC and Emrys Nekvapil SC.
*Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation.