Sam Hunter Jones

Focus

Sam is based in our London office.  His work holds governments and businesses to account for their failure to act on climate change – from greenwashing by companies to violations of human rights by states.  He has a particular focus on planning and climate change.

Sam led our work opposing Drax’s plans to build what would have been Europe’s largest gas power station.  His advocacy at the inquiry persuaded the Planning Inspectorate to recommend refusing consent for the first time based on an infrastructure project’s climate impacts.

He also developed our world-first complaint against BP for misleading advertising, which preceded the company withdrawing its “Possibilities Everywhere” campaign.

Sam is currently acting for a group of claimants in their claim against Australia before the UN Human Rights Committee.  The claimants are members of indigenous island communities living in the Torres Strait – without urgent action, rising sea levels threaten their millennia-old culture.

Experience

Before joining ClientEarth, Sam was a lawyer with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer based in their London, Berlin and Paris offices, where his practice focused on international energy disputes.

Education

Sam has a master of laws (LLM) in environmental law and policy from University College London, where he was awarded the Maxi Alexander prize for research.

He is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales with higher rights (civil).

We use the law to clear the path to net zero and to stand up for the rights of present and future generations – I feel incredibly lucky to contribute to that work alongside such an inspiring team.