Conor is Head of William Fry’s Environment & Planning Group. His work (advisory, contentious and transactional support) covers planning and land use law, pollution control licensing, habitat and protected area controls, environmental impact assessment, the legal aspects of waste management and contaminated land issues. He has a particular interest in the legal and policy responses to the climate change problem, including the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. Qualified as a Solicitor in both the Republic of Ireland and in England & Wales, and as a Barrister, he also holds an MSc in Environmental Social Science from the University of Kent at Canterbury.
He has formerly held the following adjunct/part-time roles: Irish Government appointee to the International Panel of Environmental Law Expert Arbitrators, at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague; Senior Vice Chair of the International Bar Association’s (IBA) Environment, Health and Safety Law Committee and Vice-Chair of the IBA President’s Task Force on Climate Change Justice and Human Rights. He is also a former Vice-Chairman of the Employment Appeals Tribunal.
Conor has led the William Fry team representing clients in some of the most high-profile environmental and planning cases in recent years. Conor Linehan is highlighted as ‘a go-to adviser for critical projects’.
William Fry's Environmental & Planning Law Unit is described as "consistently best in class" by leading legal market Guide, Legal 500 EMEA. The Guide lists Conor as "highly recommended" for Environmental & Planning Law, referring to his "very solid grasp of legislation and how it impacts on business" and to his efforts for clients as "leaving no stone unturned".
