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Matthew Heydon

Matthew Heydon

Dept for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Matthew joined the GLS as a trainee back in 1999 because he wanted to practise constitutional and administrative law and EC law. Four years down the line he has gained a wide variety of experience and a unique insight into the way Government works.

“Immediately on qualification as a solicitor I spent two years working on fisheries policy. This included helping to introduce controversial new measures to restrict the number of days fishing boats can spend at sea in order to preserve dwindling cod stocks. I also had to become familiar with all kinds of different fishing nets!

My current role involves working closely with policy-makers in the Climate Change and Environmental Risk Directorate, advising them on the legal powers and constraints that there are to either help or hinder them in achieving their policy goals. The guiding principle behind my job is to keep an eye on the policy area and advise where a particular course of action would put the Department at risk of being successfully challenged by Judicial Review or being sued for damages. Where new legislation is required to achieve those policies, I will draft it if it is secondary legislation or instruct Parliamentary Counsel if it is primary legislation. This can involve giving legal advice to Ministers and briefing and supporting them in Parliamentary debates. The policy areas in which I currently work are on greenhouse gas emissions trading and the marketing and use of dangerous chemicals.

I’m faced with something new most weeks and getting to grips with new and often technical pieces of legislation at short notice can be very challenging. But the culture here is friendly, supportive and professional and people are willing to help each other even when they’re busy.

The training has been excellent and I have been given a high degree of responsibility from day one, trusted to get it right and given a lot of support from my managers and colleagues. Attending formal courses is also encouraged.

I’m faced with something new most weeks.

I’ve never worked in the private sector, but I get the impression that if you develop a specialism in your first few years it can be difficult to move into a different area of law later in your career. In my experience that is much easier in the GLS. Where do I see myself in five years time? Still here, doing something completely different, possibly in another Department and hopefully having been promoted!”