Environmental criminal law is a fast-growing field, marked by constantly stronger legal obligations and penalties for harm to ecosystems. It covers all the rules designed to prevent, punish and remedy environmental offences, whether pollution, breaches of waste regulations, harm to biodiversity or the unlawful handling of hazardous substances. With changing public policy and increasingly frequent administrative and judicial inspections, this area of litigation has become a major issue for companies, industrial operators, farmers and local authorities, which must comply with ever stricter requirements.

Barssie Avocats assists business owners, executives and legal managers facing prosecution for environmental offences. It acts from the earliest stages of the proceedings, in particular during administrative investigations, voluntary interviews or police custody, in order to anticipate risks and adopt a suitable defence strategy.

Barssie Avocats’ expertise covers a wide range of environmental offences, including industrial pollution, breaches of ICPE rules (French regulations on installations classified for environmental protection), illegal waste management, toxic discharges, destruction of protected species, harm to natural habitats and operating polluting installations without authorisation. Given the growing complexity of these regulations and the risk of heavy penalties, including substantial fines, business closures and prison sentences, the support of a lawyer experienced in environmental criminal law is essential to protect the interests of companies and their managers.

The firm also defends victims of environmental offences, whether associations, local authorities or individuals affected by serious harm to the environment. It assists them in filing complaints, joining proceedings as a civil party and bringing actions to obtain compensation for the ecological damage suffered.