Alastair Lewis

Alastair trained with Sharpe Pritchard, qualified in 1992 and has been a Roll A Parliamentary Agent and partner for over 25 years.

Alastair acts for clients in the public and private sector promoting and opposing major infrastructure schemes and advising on legislation and public law.

His infrastructure work requires specialist knowledge of planning law, compulsory purchase, environmental impact assessment, habitats and highways law and practice.

As a Roll A Parliamentary Agent, Alastair is one of a very small number of lawyers entitled to draft and promote and also oppose private and hybrid legislation in Parliament. Since he qualified, he has promoted more private Bills in Parliament than any other agent.

Alastair’s role:

Alastair advises on development consent orders (DCOs) for nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs), on Transport and Works Orders (TWA Orders) for transport schemes and harbour revision orders for port and harbour works and management.

He drafts primary and secondary legislation (including procedural rules and charters) and drafts amendments to government Bills and advises on Parliamentary procedure and strategy.

Alastair advises on public law issues generally, including statutory interpretation, vires, equalities, consultations and standards.

Skills and strengths:

The work that Alastair does is mostly very specialised and for many clients it is novel. Alastair always explains unfamiliar and new concepts in non-technical language.

Alastair’s work also requires meticulous attention to detail and often requires an ability to encapsulate difficult concepts in drafting that is clear and easy to understand.  He often works alongside other lawyers (both in house and in collaboration with other firms) and one senior “silver circle” lawyer recently described Alastair as the best drafter they had ever come across.

As client care partner for the firm, Alastair understands the need for clients to have advice that is clear, commercial, and delivered in accordance with clients’ expectations on timescales and budgets. He ensures that clients are kept informed of how work is progressing on both fronts.