Name: Caroline Bush Firm: Osborne Clarke LLP Location: Bath University: University of Bristol Degree: French
waste projects, as well as providing regulatory environmental advice to clients across the business. This is where her customer service skills really come into play: “I’ve really enjoyed building up a rapport with clients and helping them with advice or a difficult situation, like an Environment Agency investigation.” A perfect fit Unsurprisingly for her line of work, Caroline is passionate about the environment. Osborne Clarke is therefore a great fit for her, as it provides employees with numerous opportunities to get involved in non-law- related activities. Caroline is co-chair of OC Planet, which promotes sustainability at the firm and she’s heavily involved in the sustainability elements of Osborne Clarke’s new Bristol office which is currently in construction. She’s also a member of Osborne Clarke’s decarbonisation team, which works with clients to help them tackle the carbon challenge, for example by discussing their approach to environmental, social and governance metrics or by considering the impact of net-zero targets on their business. When asked whether she has any advice for aspiring solicitors, Caroline is quick to encourage aiming high: “I didn’t think I stood a snowflake’s chance in hell of getting a training contract, let alone at Osborne Clarke,” she admits. “It’s massively competitive, but the really important thing to bear in mind is that different firms look for different things. Be yourself and don’t write yourself off!”
your work” Caroline explains. “A lot of what we do in energy and environment is driven by the current government, so in addition to knowing the law you need to have your finger on the pulse of what’s going on at a political level.” The increased roll out of mandatory Task Force on Climate-Related Finance Disclosures or TCFD reporting is just one example of the type of development that has had a knock-on effect on Caroline’s advice to clients. Equally, the Environment Act 2021 (the Act), which received Royal Assent on 9 November 2021, has introduced some really big changes. Among other things, the Act sets out a comprehensive framework for legally- binding targets to deliver environmental improvements in England, and these will have a significant impact on the regulatory landscape moving forward. I’ve really enjoyed building up a rapport with clients and helping them with advice or a difficult situation, like an Environment Agency investigation
Variety is the spice of life While some might be put off by this
uncertainty, for Caroline, it’s one of the things that she loves most about her job. “I really like that when I sit down at my desk in the morning and open my emails, I don’t quite know what’s going to be on my agenda for the day.” The sheer volume of work undertaken by Osborne Clarke’s environment and energy team is impressive. Caroline’s role predominantly encompasses environmental due diligence and providing other specialist environmental input in relation to corporate and real estate transactions, for example advising on feedstock and offtake arrangements for large scale energy from
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