Alastair has been ranked in the top tier of the parliamentary section in Chambers UK and the Legal 500 for a number of years.
“Alastair Lewis and Emyr Thomas are exceptional in their field, with a very practical but polished approach to the particular peculiarities of the Parliamentary machine.”
Legal 500 2023
“Emyr Thomas, Andrew Swaffer, Aidan Dickinson and above all Alastair Lewis are all exceptional solicitors, who I have only good things to say of”
Legal 500 2021
“Alastair Lewis is hard-working, diligent, approachable, and has a keen insight into how to present the best case for the client.”
Legal 500 2021
“We find Alastair Lewis is particularly outstanding. He has a down-to-earth, friendly, and engaging manner with clients.”
Legal 500 2021
“he’s very easy to get on with and he can make things simple to understand.”
Chambers and Partners 2019
“brilliant, personable and knowledgeable”
Practice areas:
Sector experience:
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.
Key cases
- Alastair’s recent work includes advising clients on transport and energy related development consent orders (DCOs), in particular on strategic highway, off-shore wind farm and nuclear power proposals.
- Acting for host local authorities on some of the most significant development consent order applications: includes Sizewell C, Lower Thames Crossing and Gatwick Northern Runway Project.
- Promoting three recent private Bills in Parliament relating to areas of open space, and Bills for local authorities, companies, cemeteries and transport bodies.
- Acting for a large number of petitioners on the HS2 and Crossrail hybrid bills, including most of the local authorities and a number of significant landowners.
- Acting for a significant stakeholder in a major TWA Order for a transit scheme, and for a promoter of a heritage railway scheme.
- Promoting a number of Parliamentary Bills for the London Borough Councils and Transport for London.
- Acting on the last three Special Parliamentary Procedure Orders in Parliament, including for government and for objectors.
- Drafting disciplinary rules for a statutory professional body.
- Drafting amendments to recent government legislation for a variety of clients, including the Environment Act, Levelling-up and Regeneration Act and Tobacco and Vaping Bill.
