How my background in science set me on the path to creating my own environmental law practice 

Interview with Dr Anna Willetts 

Dr Anna Willetts, Environmental Crime Partner, marks her five-year anniversary at gunnercooke, and recently reflected on her unique career journey. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Anna secured a PhD in geochemistry and began her career as an environmental consultant, allowing her to bring a rare combination of scientific depth and legal knowledge to her work.  

Over the past five years, she has built a thriving practice advising clients in the waste and resources sector, often acting in complex cases.  

Below, Anna shares why she became an environmental lawyer, and why her unique background sets her apart in the industry. 

Why did you decide to become an environmental lawyer?  

I was an environmental consultant for a number of years, giving technical and scientific advice to clients in the waste and resources industry. They started being prosecuted by the regulators for environmental offences and asking me for help, which I could not give as a consultant. I thought this appeared to be an interesting and niche area of technical law so was keen to pursue it and see if it interested me as a career. It did! 

You have a PhD in geochemistry. How has your scientific background helped your legal work? 

Much of the law I deal with is technical and relates to environmental offences which are often scientific in nature, e.g. water pollution, waste composition and analysis. My background in geochemistry and geology is very useful for understanding the nature of these offences and the technical nature of them. 

What do you find most rewarding about your job? 

Helping my clients who are all lovely. They are often anxious, stressed and very worried when faced with criminal prosecutions, and struggle to understand the above-mentioned technical law, so I am enjoy being able to simplify it, break it down for them, explain the Court system and hopefully calm their minds and ensure that they understand it all and know that I am on their side 100%.   

What are your highlights from the past five years at gunnercooke? Do you have any standout cases?  

All my cases are very interesting (to me) and stand out! However, in particular last year I dealt with a conspiracy to commit fraud case which was listed for a 6-week trial in the Crown Court. The client just could not afford the legal fees and was having to consider changing his plea to guilty for that reason alone. This is often a sad reality of cases where defendants have to plead as they simply cannot afford to prove their innocence, but do not meet the test for legal aid. The offence carries up to a 7-year custodial sentence.  

I had a gut feeling that things were not right with the case.  The jury was sworn in, the client was pushing to decide as he was extremely anxious, and time was running out.   

Fortunately, the pressure the five defence lawyers put on the prosecution to provide disclosure of evidence which had been withheld (and which we had a feeling would have proved what we thought it would prove) meant that it was finally provided to us, somewhat grudgingly we felt.   

As a result of that disclosure, the prosecution had to withdraw the charges and all five defendants, including my client, were acquitted. Whilst this was the right result, it was a hugely stressful time for my client and the other defendants over the 18 months from Summons to Trial, and really demonstrated how important disclosure is, how you need to push and fight when you think that things aren’t right, and also how experience of these cases meant that my gut feelings were entirely correct.  

Environmental regulation has evolved massively over the past five years. How do you stay ahead of the curve, and what trends do you expect to see going forward? 

I am a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, and past President, and I chair the East Anglian Centre Council of the Institution, so I am always immersed in the waste industry and what will affect it. I also chair the Waste Working Group of the UK Environmental Law Association, and I sit on the Environmental Services Association’s Waste Regulation Group. All of these bodies mean that I stay up to date with legal as well as technical issues in both waste and law. 

How does the gunnercooke model benefited you and your clients? 

I absolutely love the gunnercooke model and could not imagine going back to being employed at a traditional law firm. I have complete flexibility over my working hours, my time, my fees and when I work. The fixed fee model works very well for my clients. If they want to spend half an hour telling me how worried they are about their case, or about their upcoming holiday, I do not need to charge for every 6-minute unit which I much prefer. That side of law is a big part of my job, speaking with clients with subjects that are not often part of the case, but that they want to offload, and to me that is not and shouldn’t be chargeable. The fixed fee model means I can charge what I think is right for the actual work I do and not have someone over my shoulder wanting a 7.5-hour time sheet for every minute of my day accounted for. 

You are a Board Member for the Chartered Institute of Waste Management. What does this involve and does gunnercooke make it easier to take on roles like this? 

The Board of Trustees effectively governs a large part of the Institution and ensures scrutiny and transparency of decision-making. The flexibility and autonomy I have at gunnercooke means I am able to carry out this role to fit with my job as and when I choose to. If I want to attend a 3-hour CIWM Board meeting in the middle of the day and then do 4 hours work that day instead of 7, that is my choice to do so.  

What advice would you give to a lawyer just starting out in the environmental or regulatory field today? 

Do it! And talk to me, I’ll tell you what a rewarding career it can be!