Laura specialises in matters concerning climate change and other environmental issues, practising across all areas of law. She accepts briefs relating to regulatory proceedings, class actions, competition and consumer law, corporate disclosure, impact assessment, planning, criminal prosecutions, and inquires.
Her expertise includes:
- misrepresentations about climate and sustainability credentials under the Australian Consumer Law, the Corporations Act, and the ASIC Act (greenwashing)
- judicial review of government decisions, including major project approval decisions
- climate change attribution and complex causation
- adaptation planning and planning applications; and
- environmental protection, including under the EPBC Act.
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.
Before coming to the bar, Laura practised as a solicitor in planning and environmental law (DLA Piper), and served as the Foote postdoctoral 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 (APA Award; 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 Emrys Nekvapil SC and Juliet Forsyth SC.