Matt Townsend is Global Co-head of the Environmental, Climate and Regulatory Law Group at A&O Shearman and is one of the founders of the firm’s global sustainability practice. Matt is widely recognised as one of Europe’s leading environmental lawyers and is a regular commentator on new and emerging climate change-related regulation. For more than 28 years he has advised on environmental, climate and regulatory matters across a broad range of corporate and real estate transactions, projects and finance-related matters. He has counselled clients extensively on sustainability reporting and disclosure requirements, climate transition planning, issues arising from carbon pricing and trading, sustainability and corporate governance, and supply chain risk management. He works extensively with major international clients across jurisdictions and in multiple sectors to develop compliance programmes that span a variety of regulatory and risk areas.

Matt is ranked Band 1 in Chambers U.K. 2024, Environment & Climate Change and in September 2023 won the Environment and Climate Lawyer of the Year at the Who’s Who Legal Awards. He has achieved Hall of Fame status in the Legal 500’s U.K. 2023 Environment category.