Five Minutes with Emily Knowles

Emily Knowles is a partner in our Planning team. She joined Sharpe Pritchard in 2015.

We spent five minutes with Emily to learn more about her and the work she does.

 

Tell us about your role at Sharpe Pritchard

I am a Partner in the Planning team, specialising in non-contentious planning and highways law in relation to regeneration schemes, new garden communities, sports and leisure facilities, and major transport infrastructure projects. My clients are a mixture of local authorities, landowners, and developers.

What does a typical day look like for you?

As I’m sure many of my colleagues will say, there really is no such thing as a typical day, which is what keeps it so interesting! But it will usually involve negotiating a complex section 106 agreement and providing advice on a particularly thorny section of planning or highways legislation.

What is the most interesting project or matter you’ve worked on recently?

Advising a consortium of local authorities in respect of the section 106 agreement relating to the Gatwick Airport northern runway development consent order. This was a fascinating project in terms of scope and scale and really tested my drafting skills, touching on unusual planning obligations that I don’t often get to deal with.

What do clients most commonly come to you for advice on?

Clients generally come to me for advice on complex and high-value section 106 agreements related to large scale development.

What developments or trends are you currently keeping an eye on?

The world of planning legislation and policy is constantly evolving and often comes into force immediately so we always need to keep on top of those changes. More broadly, the local government reorganisation process that is currently planned could have really interesting implications for our clients, both in terms of emerging plans but also already consented development.

What’s one misconception people have about your area of law?

That it’s the same as property law…

What do you enjoy most about working at Sharpe Pritchard?

It’s the only place I’ve ever worked and I wouldn’t have stayed this long if I didn’t love it! The people and the culture are what really makes it.

What piece of advice would you give to someone starting out in your profession?

Be prepared to fall in love with an area of law that you weren’t expecting! And make sure you have a manageable filing system from the start – there’s a lot of emails!!

If you hadn’t become a lawyer, what would you have done?

I’d have loved to work in travel or interior design – two things I love to spend money on in my spare time.

What’s something your colleagues might be surprised to learn about you?

I can quote pretty much every episode of ‘Friends’ word-for-word.

What book, podcast or TV programme would you recommend right now?

‘The Names’ is a wonderful book which shows how different our lives could have been; it really makes you think! And ‘Only Connect’ – not that I ever manage to get many right!

Complete this sentence: “People would be surprised how much of my job involves…”

“…Epiphanies whilst changing a nappy!”