Environmental Law
Managing your projects’ environmental impact
Our team helps clients – corporates and local authorities – navigate the complex regulatory landscape of environmental law.
Our lawyers advise large entities, in the railway, aerospace, and waste management sectors. All of them face significant challenges and business risks related to protected sites and pollution.

Interventions
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Auditing the risks associated with industrial or real estate projects
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Design and management of industrial sites and protected sites
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Sale, shutdown, and conversion of industrial sites
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Assessing the effect of environmental taxes
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Energy and renewable energy
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Waste Management
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Environmental Litigation
Auditing the risks associated with industrial or real estate projects
Acquisitions come with risks. Thorough audits are critical to identify any current or potential environmental issues. During such audits we investigate the target's compliance with environmental law, specifically in the areas of waste, water, urban planning, biodiversity, polluted sites, and energy.
Our audits also include advice on ISO standards and CSR. In the event of a merger or acquisition, the audit can be used to draft contractual clauses.
Design and management of industrial sites and protected sites
With proven credentials in energy law, water law, construction law, urban planning law, and protected sites, our team advises clients from the inception of their industrial projects. We help ensure they meet regulatory requirements, negotiate easements and usage limits, and obtain the permits required to start operating (ICPE, polluting emissions, IOTA, etc.).
We also advise on an ongoing basis:
- To adapt to regulatory changes
- In the event of accidents and major crises
- Relationship with the authorities
Sale, shutdown, and conversion of industrial sites
We help clients manage all matters related to the closure, sale, restoration, decontamination, and conversion of industrial sites. Specifically, we advise on administrative procedures, environmental clauses around sale and purchase, project management and monitoring, duty transfers, and the new “third-party requester” mechanism.
Assessing the effect of environmental taxes
In France, there are currently over 10 environmental taxes in place, including eco-contribution; TGAP (for waste, polluting emissions, lubricants, detergents, extraction materials, and biofuels sectors); sector specific taxes in nuclear, oil, electricity, and transport; waste fees; and TIC (internal consumption tax). We help you understand these taxes, their impact on your business, and the changes that regularly affect them.
Energy and renewable energy
August Debouzy has long-standing expertise in implementing energy production and transport infrastructure projects in France and abroad, including solar power plants, wind farms, and hydraulic installations.
Waste Management
We support local authorities, businesses, and waste management operators on all legal issues:
- Public procurement
- Negotiation and drafting of contracts for collection, transportation, recycling, recovery, trade, and disposal of waste, whether local or international
- Waste management facilities
- Risk auditing
- Advice on reuse
- Producer liability
- Waste traceability
Environmental Litigation
We represent our clients in the pre-litigation and litigation phase, as well as during the preparation of experts’ reports and in administrative, civil, and criminal courts.
Our team specialize in a wide range of fields, including class actions, noise and odor nuisances, pollution, challenges to authorization denials, and environmental liability guarantees.
Team
- Partners
- Senior Associates
- Associates
- Counsels
- Working languages: French, English, German, Spanish
Rewards
Advises public bodies and multinational companies on contentious and non-contentious public law matters. Has demonstrable expertise in public procurement processes and subsequent litigation. Handles mandates for clients hailing from the tobacco, healthcare, transporta¬tion and energy sectors.
“The firm advises its clients on the management of complex regulatory issues, particularly relating to environmentally classified installations, pollution and waste.”
Legal 500 EMEA 2023
Environment
Tier 3
Legal 500 EMEA 2023
Energy
Tier 3/3
"Advises public bodies and multinational companies on contentious and non-contentious public law matters. Has demonstrable expertise in public procurement processes and subsequent litigation. Handles mandates for clients hailing from the tobacco, healthcare, transportation and energy sectors."
Chambers & Partners Europe 2023
Vincent Brenot
Band 2
• Vincent Brenot
• Pierre Descheemaeker
• Hélène Billery
“August Debouzy’s Vincent Brenot focuses his practice on navigating environmental regulatory matters with an impressive litigation and transactional practice with experience handling a range of contaminated site and energy sector deals.”
Who's who legal global/France
Vincent Brenot
Environment; Administrative litigation (France)
“The firm advises its clients on the management of complex regulatory issues, particularly relating to classified sites, pollution and waste.”
Décideurs stratégie finance droit
Renewable energy law
Excellent
Décideurs stratégie finance droit
Energy – Market regulation
Excellent
Décideurs stratégie finance droit
Environment - Litigation
Recommended
Décideurs stratégie finance droit
Natural resources and renewable energies in Africa
Recommended
Décideurs stratégie finance droit
Waste law and circular economy
Highly recommended
Décideurs stratégie finance droit
ICPE, contaminated areas, industrial wilderness
Recommended
- Presentation
- Interventions
- Team
- Rewards
- Articles
Articles
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