Dervla Simm
Senior Associate Global Regulatory
Languages
English
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Overview
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Experience
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Credentials
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Insights and events
Chambers 2023"Dervla has a quiet assuredness to her. She is easy to deal with and is insightful, logical and thoughtful."
Dervla Simm typically acts for public bodies and companies at the intersection of business and governments.
Dervla recognises that private clients have to find a way to operate profitably in the face of increasing regulation and works with them in their engagement with government and regulators to shape policy and regulation to assist their businesses. Dervla also works with public bodies to help them to understand the nature of their powers and make decisions that are lawful, robust and future-proof.
Dervla provides her clients with pragmatic legal advice on issues such as UK and EU legislation, commercial human rights, and information rights. But this is just one part of her role. She knows that getting the best for her clients often means combining quality legal advice with smart, timely discussions with governmental and regulatory bodies or, for government, with businesses. By engaging early in this way, her clients are often able to head off issues before they become problems, avoiding the time and costs associated with litigation.
When litigation has become inevitable, Dervla has experience in acting on a range of contentious matters both for and against government, including in commercial judicial reviews, regulatory appeals and information rights appeals.
Dervla is also passionate about pro bono and has been heavily involved in pro bono work throughout her time at the firm. She successfully obtained hundreds of thousands of pounds from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme for the victim of a violent assault. For many years she also represented a group of families whose relatives died in Welsh care homes – helping the families to secure an independent review into their deaths and acting for them in high profile inquests that concluded in 2021.
Chambers 2023"She is a thorough and intelligent lawyer."
Representative experience
Advising the UK Government on potential legislative gaps in domestic law arising from the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Act and its automatic revocation of interpretive elements of EU Law.
Advising The Crown Estate on various public law and Habitats Regulations Assessment issues on its latest round of Offshore Wind Leasing for a number of sites in the waters around England and Wales.
Advising Uber on key regulatory issues relevant to its UK operations, inside and outside London, including plying for hire, acceptance of bookings and cross-border hiring.
Advising the London Metal Exchange on complaints relating to its decisions to suspend nickel trading and cancel various nickel trades in March 2022.
Advising The Crown Estate on public law considerations arising in relation to the development of floating offshore wind opportunities in the Celtic Sea.
Advising the ABPI on potential amendments to its regulatory code.
Acting for Uber London in its successful (and strategically important) 2018 and 2020 appeals against the decisions by TfL not to renew its licence to operate in London.
Advising National Air Traffic Services on issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Advising The Crown Estate on a range of public law and policy issues of strategic importance, including on the nature and scope of its powers under its enabling statute.
Acting for National Air Traffic Services in a dispute with Ryanair regarding the interpretation of EU rules on charges payable for London air traffic control services.
Completing a secondment with The Crown Estate which included: public law advice on vires; negotiating and drafting commercial agreements; and advising on IT procurement processes.
Representing Uber in its 2016 judicial review (both in the High Court and on appeal) of new regulations introduced by TfL for operators and drivers.
Representing a group of families in inquests into the deaths of their relatives in Welsh care homes in circumstances suggestive of abuse and neglect.
Acting for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition in relation to an information rights case before the Upper Tribunal.
Acting for a victim of sex trafficking in a JR challenging a decision of the First-tier Tribunal not to award damages under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme for loss of earnings.
Credentials
- B.A. (Jurisprudence), University of Oxford
- Legal Practice Course, BPP University Law School
- Solicitor, England and Wales
- Member, Administrative Law Bar Association