Finch case shortlisted for Case of the Year at LexisNexis Awards 2025
17 Jan 2025
Cornerstone Climate, Public Law and Judicial Review, Planning and Environment, Local Government

Cornerstone Barristers is delighted to see that the Finch case has been shortlisted for Case of the Year at LexisNexis Awards 2025. It is the first climate change case in the Supreme Court to consider the climate impacts of fossil fuel development and is also a key case on the importance of public participation in environmental decision-making. Six members of Cornerstone Climate were instructed:
- Estelle Dehon KC and Ruchi Parekh acted for Sarah Finch and the Weald Action Group, instructed by Rowan Smith and Carol Day of Leigh Day Law, with Marc Willers KC (Garden Court Chambers).
- Harriet Townsend and Alex Williams acted for Surrey County Council, instructed by Helen Forbes.
- Nina Pindham acted for Friends of the Earth, one of the four parties intervening by way of written submissions, instructed by Katie de Kauwe and led by Paul Brown KC (Landmark Chambers).
- David Welsh acted for Greenpeace UK, another intervener, instructed by Jennifer Jack of Harper Macleod LLP (Edinburgh) and led by Ruth Crawford KC (Axiom Advocates) and Richard Harwood KC (39 Essex Chambers).
You will find a summary of the judgment here and here.
You can watch coverage of Finch on Channel 4 News here and listen to discussion of it on Radio 4’s Today Programme here.