Clayton Utz partner Claire Smith named 2017 Lawyer of the Year in the Contaminated Land and Groundwater Industry

Sydney, 21 November 2017: Clayton Utz environment and planning partner Claire Smith was recently named 2017 Lawyer of the Year in the Contaminated Land and Groundwater Industry at the Australasian Land and Groundwater Association's (ALGA) Annual Industry Excellence Awards. The Awards celebrate the best projects and outstanding professionals working in the contaminated land and groundwater management industry.  

Claire was recognised for her ongoing work advising Barangaroo Delivery Authority (BDA) on the Barangaroo remediation project, which addresses the historical contamination of the former Millers Point Gasworks site from the mid-1800s and early 1900s. It is considered to be one of Australia's most complex contamination matters.

Claire led the Clayton Utz team supporting BDA in reaching a resolution on a number of matters arising out of the contamination and remediation of the former gasworks. To date, this has included three sets of litigation, two mediations and multiple remediation technology trials.

Commenting on her accolade, Claire said: "The Barangaroo remediation project is critical to ensuring any adverse environmental and health consequences from the contamination are minimised as the area is earmarked for business, entertainment and cultural development. We have made fantastic progress on the remediation and it is wonderful to be recognised for this by our peers within the contaminated land and groundwater management industry."   

Claire added that it was an interesting time to be working in the evolving and increasingly sophisticated contaminated land sector. "The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has just introduced changes to the Guidelines for the NSW Site Auditor Scheme which are likely to have immediate implications for all site auditors, current site audits, and large scale urban renewal projects already underway on previously contaminated sites in the state. I'm looking forward to working with our clients to determine what these changes will mean for them," she said.