February 24th, 2025
ELF Member Spotlight: Gabriel Nelson
Gabriel is a barrister at Francis Taylor Building specialising in environmental, public and planning law. He has acted for local communities, campaign groups and NGOs in a range of environmental law matters, as well as central and local government.
He is presently seconded to the Office for Environmental Protection, advising on a wide range of environmental law issues. Other recent work includes an ongoing judicial review challenge concerning the relationship between permitted development rights and the Electronic Communications Code and representing local residents in a case concerning the construction of a car park on a registered Village Green.
Can you tell us about your background and what inspired you to specialize in environmental law?
I grew up in Hackney, East London, where I attended my local comprehensive before then moving to an all-boys grammar school for my A Levels. Sixth form was both an ambitious environment to be in, while at the same time encouraging very traditional career aspirations. As a result, the options were fairly limited: doctor, banker or lawyer. I took the latter option and read law for my undergraduate degree at Durham University.
Whilst there, I began to take an interest in environmental and climate issues alongside my studies. This included campaign marches, setting up college recycling schemes and attending various committees, combined with much longer hair and far too many earrings.
After my undergraduate studies, I took the Environmental Law and Policy LLM at UCL, a great course for any aspiring environmental lawyer. There, I covered the full spectrum of environmental law, including international environmental law, EU law, as well as domestic governance issues.
I then had a brief period at Leigh Day working on their diesel emissions claims against BMW, before studying for the Bar and joining Francis Taylor Building, a leading environmental and planning law set.
What motivated you to join ELF?
I joined ELF very shortly after beginning my second-six practising period at Francis Taylor Building. This was driven by a desire to get involved in environmental law work from the start and build a practise in that area.
Interesting work soon followed thereafter. After just two months of practise, I was working with Emma Montlake on a three-day planning enforcement inquiry regarding a pub that had been unlawfully converted into a set of flats. We represented the local community: patrons of the pub who attested to its vibrant 300-year history which continued to the present day. We were eventually able to convince the Inspector its cultural and historical value and he required that the pub be restored to its proper purpose.
How has working with the Environmental Law Foundation influenced your career and professional development?
ELF has a vast and diverse array of clients, all with their own issues involving environmental law. I’ve therefore been able to dive into various interesting areas, including biodiversity net gain, protected habitat sites and most recently a matter regarding development on a registered Village Green.
With this comes a great source of networking with different clients, as well as conferences and events, all of which has enabled me to improve my knowledge and expertise while developing my practise.
Can you share a memorable case or project you worked on through ELF that had a significant impact on the community or the environment?
I would say the enforcement inquiry regarding the pub (the China Hall in Rotherhithe – soon to reopen for those interested!) was the most memorable. It was a great experience working in tandem with the Council to reverse a clearly unlawful development and restore a valuable asset to the local community.
From a personal standpoint, towards the end of my pupillage Emma put me in contact with a local community group who were looking to bring a judicial review challenge against their local authority. This resulted in my first High Court experience, which was an invaluable experience so early in my career and a great example of the interesting work ELF can offer.
What are some of the unique opportunities or advantages you’ve experienced as a member of ELF compared to other professional networks or organisations?
There are several great campaign groups looking to further environmental issues, but few compare to ELF in terms of the range of different members. At ELF events, one can mix with practitioners in the early stages of their career to senior KCs, who have appeared in many significant environmental law cases up to the Supreme Court.
Therefore, in addition to the interesting work, there are many different networking opportunities with ELF, which allow you to meet other environmental lawyers, as well as campaigners and NGOs.
In your opinion, why should other legal professionals consider joining the Environmental Law Foundation, and what advice would you give to those who are interested in pursuing a career in environmental law?
ELF is perhaps the best way to help grass-roots environmental campaigners as a young lawyer. Often against larger and wealthier developers or government organisations, local communities can struggle to compete with their resources.
Giving some time to offer advice and representation is a great way to develop a practise in environmental law, but it also helps redress some of that imbalance and ensure that powerful interests are held to account.