Emma Kensett

Emma Kensett 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 business and human rights, lobbying, qualifications, utilities, Community Interest Companies, product safety and the environment. Her client base has included regulators, central government departments and regulated businesses.

Emma undertakes both contentious and non-contentious work including assisting on a price control appeal to the Competition and Markets Authority in the energy sector, in which she led the drafting on key elements of the Notice of Appeal. Emma has also supported a range of clients who are facing challenges via public inquiries, tribunals and the courts (including, but not limited to, judicial review).

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.

In the environmental sector, Emma has advised businesses on the legal processes surrounding requirements for trade effluent consent and the levels of compulsory environmental reporting within businesses. She has also reviewed UK legislation and EU Directives on waste management with a view to identifying whether particular changes in law constitute "qualifying" changes in law for the purposes of necessitating certain actions under related project agreements.

More broadly, Emma has undertaken due diligence investigations from both a Planning and Energy angle to assess legal risk.