Lisa Busch KC

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Lisa specialises in planning, environmental, local government, and public law (including human rights and equalities). She was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2000 and took silk in 2016.

Before taking silk, Lisa was on the Attorney-General’s A Panel of Counsel (having previously been on the B and C Panels) representing public bodies in some of their most high-profile and challenging cases. She was also on the Panel of Counsel established by the Equality and Human Rights Commission between 2015 and 2018. She has been consistently recommended in Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 in her areas of practice.

Editor’s note: Our dear friend and colleague Lisa Busch passed away in November 2024. You can read Lisa’s obituary here.

Expertise

Planning and Environment
Lisa Busch KC is a leading advocate in planning and environmental law. She has been recommended in these areas of the law for many years in Chambers and Partners UK and Legal 500, where she is described as having “a very detailed knowledge of the law relating to environmental and planning cases”, and as “extremely effective in cross-examination”.

Having been on the Attorney-General’s Panel of Counsel for over a decade, Lisa has acted on a regular basis for Government departments and other public bodies on a wide range of planning and environmental law matters in statutory and non-statutory judicial review claims and in public inquiries. Lisa also acts in planning and environmental law cases for local authorities, individual claimant and residents’ organisations. She has appeared in numerous reported cases, and many of her cases have received widespread media publicity.

Lisa is experienced in dealing with cases involving EIA development, as well as challenges brought under other EU legislation, such as the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive, the Air Quality Directive, the Waste Framework Directive and the Habitats and Birds Directives. Her practice encompasses work on a significant number of major infrastructure projects, and she is described in the Directories as an “expert on the planning aspects of large infrastructure projects”.

Between 2013 and 2016, she was part of the team of Counsel acting for the DfT and HS2 in the HS2 House of Commons Select Committee Inquiry. She has represented Highways England on various road transport infrastructure projects, and local authorities and residents’ groups challenging the expansion of airports in England. In addition, she deals regularly with cases involving residential and retail development, waste disposal facilities, renewable energy facilities (including windfarms) and energy from waste facilities. Most recently she has acted for the Secretary of State for Education promoting new free schools and academies in public inquiries.

Lisa is experienced in dealing with town and village greens and rights of way. She has a niche practice in water law, including matters such as the powers and duties of marine and navigation authorities, environmental impacts of marine development, public rights of navigation on waterways in England and Wales and flooding and flood defence work in rural and urban areas. She is also experienced in dealing with gypsy/traveller cases, including those featuring equality and human rights issues.

For a representative selection of Lisa’s cases and inquiries, click on the “Cases” heading on this page.
Public Law and Judicial Review
Lisa has appeared in numerous high profile public law cases, both as a silk and junior, having served on the Attorney-General’s C, B and A Panels between 2005 and 2016, and on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s Panel of Counsel between 2015 and 2018. She has been described in Chambers & Partners as a “highly experienced advocate who is very good in judicial review work” and “really excellent … a very good public lawyer …”; as well as “phenomenally good in court. As clever as they get and personable”.

As Panel Counsel, Lisa acted for a wide range of Government Departments, including the Home Office, Department for Education, Department for Transport, Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government and others. She also acts in judicial review claims for non-governmental public bodies, local authorities and individuals.

For a representative selection of Lisa’s cases, please see the list of “Cases” on this page.
- Lisa Busch KC11 Nov 2024
Local Government
Lisa Busch KC is a leading advocate in local government law. She has been recommended in this area of law for many years in the legal directories, where she is described as a “very experienced and persuasive barrister” and “intellectually second to none”. She acts for a wide range of local authorities in judicial review claims, planning and environmental law cases, education, health and community care, and other local government matters. Lisa is also very experienced in dealing with human rights and equality issues in the context of local government law, and is renowned for her skill in dealing with politically sensitive cases in a tactful and humane way, making her an extremely effective local government advocate.

For a representative selection of Lisa’s cases, please see the “Cases” section on this page.
- Lisa Busch KC11 Nov 2024

Lisa is calm and clear when giving advice and is very good at leading the team on large projects.
Chambers UK Bar (2024)

She is a really strong practitioner.
Chambers UK Bar (2024)

She is very professional, leading large teams of experts in complicated planning inquiries in a way that gave the teams confidence.
Legal 500 (2022)

Lisa is very responsive and excellent with clients.
Chambers UK Bar (2022)

There’s no doubt that she is an intellectual heavyweight.
Chambers UK Bar (2021)

About Lisa

Directory Quotes
- Planning – “She is a really strong practitioner.” Chambers and Partners 2024
- Local Government – “Lisa is calm and clear when giving advice and is very good at leading the team on large projects.” Chambers and Partners 2024
- Planning – “Lisa is very responsive and excellent with clients.” Chambers and Partners 2023
- Planning – “She is very professional, leading large teams of experts in complicated planning inquiries in a way that gave the teams confidence.” Legal 500 2022
- Local Government – “Regularly instructed in public law and local government matters, including major challenges to local authority decisions at the High Court and Court of Appeal. She is well versed in civil liberties and human rights issues. She is a member of the Attorney General’s A Panel of Counsel. Strengths: “She’s well respected by the court, smooth in her advocacy and knows her brief well.” “A very experienced and persuasive barrister.” Chambers and Partners 2021
- Planning – “Boasts an extensive history of high-end government work. She has been consulted on large infrastructure-related proceedings, including HS2 and other transport matters. She also has specialist expertise in the planning issues associated with free schools. Strengths: “Lisa cuts through matters to focus on the key points and she is extremely efficient, hard-working and able to work to tight deadlines.” “There’s no doubt that she is an intellectual heavyweight.” Chambers and Partners 2021
- “A heavyweight QC with a first-class legal brain.” Legal 500 2021
- “She is consistently reliable in the standard of work she delivers – her submissions are always perfect, very clear and very well thought out.” “She is very effective, personable and has a good rapport with the court.” Chambers and Partners 2020
- “Lisa’s advocacy is excellent.” “Phenomenally good in court, as clever as they get and personable.” Chambers and Partners 2020
- “She’s really excellent – she has a very solid planning background but is also a very good public lawyer. She’s very sensible and has good judgement.” Chambers and Partners 2019
- “She is remarkably good on matters which require a high intellectual input.” Legal 500 2018
- “Intellectually she is second to none.” Legal 500 2018
- “Lisa is very efficient, gets on well with clients, and she is very hard working. She does a very good job on her feet and provides excellent commercial solutions.” Chambers and Partners 2018
- “She is a highlight experienced advocate who is very good in judicial review work.” Chambers and Partners 2018
- “A skilled advocate that is lovely to listen to.” Chambers and Partners 2017
- “Calm, clear, measured, reliable and first-rate judgment.” Chambers and Partners 2017
- “She is a good advocate for difficult, sensitive cases because she is so thoughtful and can present a case in a tactful and humane way.” Chambers and Partners 2017
- “She has a very detailed knowledge of the law relating to environmental and planning cases.” Chambers and Partners 2017
- “Succinct with her submissions and extremely effective in cross-examination.” Legal 500 2017
- “Her cross-examination is extremely effective.” Legal 500 2017
- “An expert on the planning aspects of large infrastructure projects” and “Experienced in high-profile government cases.” Legal 500 2016
- “A new silk with pedigree including heavyweight Article 8 and Article 3 cases” “Great strengths in oral and written advocacy.” Legal 500 2016
Associations
- Member of the Administrative Law Bar Association (ALBA)
- Member of the Planning and Environment Bar Association (PEBA)
Notable Cases
Events