23 July 2007
Key Points:
Our newest Senior Associate Rachel Daniel always wanted to be in planning and environmental law.
"My other degree is in geography, so it seemed natural that I would end up doing this. A lot of people think that geography is just about knowing the capital cities of the world, but it's really about people's interaction with the world around them: it's about ecosystems, climate, pollution, global distribution of resources, social issues, transport, even energy."
"The geography background is useful in planning and environmental law - I find I can grasp the underlying technical issues, and see how they interact with legal issues quickly. It also makes it relatively easy for me to spot gaps and errors in technical reports prepared for clients."
"Underlying this all, however, is a simple desire to help our clients achieve a wise outcome - one that strikes the balance between their commercial objectives and the community's interest in their environment. And it's also a real buzz being on the cutting edge of the law - it's always evolving, creating opportunities to be innovative in applying the law to achieve clients' objectives."
Away from work, Rachel's interest in people's interaction with the natural world is expressed in concern about climate change - more particularly, concern about whether she'll get a chance to ski some famous glaciers before they melt. If all goes to plan, you'll see her next year speeding down Europe’s longest ski run, the Vallée Blanche.
