UK REACH and GB Biocidal Products: Data Sharing, Disputes and Appeals

Darren enables clients throughout the chemicals and life sciences supply chain to get and keep their products on the European market (both in the UK and the EU). He provides a global clientele (companies, consortia and trade associations) with strategic advice, undertakes advocacy before public authorities and agencies and litigates before courts and tribunals (including the ECHA board of appeal and CJEU). Darren has a wealth of experience with regulation of biocidal products, plant protection products, REACH, CLP, food and feed, GMOs and wider aspects of environmental law, including extensive work with the Aarhus convention. He loves tackling “impossible” problems, learning new fields and working in multi-disciplinary client teams, with scientists, business leaders, regulatory and public affairs specialists and (even other) lawyers.

Simon has recently joined the environment, chemicals regulation and product stewardship practice at Steptoe & Johnson. With a first-class joint honours degree in chemistry and law, Simon has developed particular expertise in EU and UK regulations on the control of chemicals and products, such as REACH and RoHS, supply chain risk, and liability arising from chemicals in the environment. Simon is recommended in the leading legal directories where he is described as “super – especially on chemicals regulation” (Chambers 2021).

I am a salaried judge in the First-tier Tribunal, General Regulatory Chamber. We are a small Chamber with an unusually broad range of jurisdictions, including Information Rights, Charities and the Environment. Since mid-2020 my focus has been changes to environmental regulation arising from the UK’s EU-Exit. These have included fairly significant changes such as the introduction of a UK ETS and a UK REACH regime. My professional background is in Criminal Law and Public International Law. I spent 6 years working as a Specialist Prosecutor in CPS Counter Terrorism Division, and 3 years as a legal adviser in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. My first judicial appointment was as a Chair of the Police Appeals Tribunal in February 2016. I was appointed as a salaried judge in the First-tier Tribunal in August 2018 and was assigned to the GRC in July 2019.