Emma Toma

Emma Toma qualified as a Public Law & Regulatory lawyer in September 2022, in Gowling WLG's Birmingham office.

Emma trained at the firm, gaining both contentious and non-contentious experience in a variety of areas: Public & Regulatory law, Employment, Pensions, Real Estate Planning and Projects & Infrastructure.

Emma has provided bespoke regulatory advice across a range of sectors, including utilities, food and drink, pharmaceuticals, health and nutrition, sport, business and human rights and product safety. Her client base has included regulators, central government departments and regulated businesses.

Emma undertakes both contentious and non-contentious work. On the contentious side, she represented Ofwat in defending a judicial review challenge before the Court of Appeal, securing a favourable outcome for the regulator: Northumbrian Water Ltd v Water Services Regulation Authority [2024] EWCA Civ 842. She also acted for Wales & West Utilities in its RIIO-GD2 price control appeal to the Competition and Markets Authority and in the ensuing judicial review before the High Court: R (Wales and West Utilities Ltd) v Competition and Markets Authority [2026] EWHC 99 (Admin).

From a non-contentious perspective, Emma has assisted a number of public authorities, including central government departments, on questions of statutory interpretation; reviewed the appropriateness of relevant enforcement mechanisms in response to complaints; advised regulators on potential responses to licence modification decisions; and considered the impact of proposed changes to particular regulatory standards and codes.

More broadly, Emma has undertaken due diligence investigations from a regulatory angle to assess legal risk in the context of utilities, hotel acquisitions and pharmaceuticals.