Conor Wileman
Senior AssociateConor Wileman specialises in environmental, product compliance and sustainability/ESG regulation, and is based in Birmingham, UK. He is named as a 'key lawyer' by Legal 500 in DLA Piper's environmental team.
He advises major international businesses on complex UK and EU regulatory frameworks, particularly where emerging legislation, innovative technologies and cross-border supply chains create novel questions of regulatory responsibility. His practice spans the full regulatory lifecycle, from supporting clients with advocacy and anticipating regulatory change through to managing regulatory investigations and enforcement action.
Conor’s experience includes product safety and compliance, waste and producer responsibility, packaging, environmental permitting, water, energy and sustainability regulation. He has particular sectoral experience advising technology and data-centre businesses on matters arising under the Energy Efficiency Directive and EU Batteries Regulation, including BESS, circular economy requirements, waste and EPR.
Conor regularly coordinates and provides strategic advice on multijurisdictional projects, including international product recalls across a range of sectors. He advises on product marking and labelling requirements and has experience responding to investigations and enforcement action by regulators including the Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive.
Conor also advises multinational businesses on UK and EU sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements, including UK SRS, CSRD, CSDDD and the EU Taxonomy. He supports significant corporate transactions, identifying, assessing and mitigating environmental, health and safety, product compliance and ESG risks.
EXPERIENCE
- Advising on a major international product recall concerning a battery cell issue affecting a power bank product across approximately 60 jurisdictions. Acting as part of the core team coordinating the recall strategy and local counsel, including regulatory notifications, consumer communications, recall mechanics and ongoing engagement with competent authorities.
- Advising on a complex multijurisdictional safety recall concerning tyres supplied to various OEMs, including reviewing the product risk assessment, advising on regulatory notifications and engagement with the DVSA and other national authorities. This included strategic advice on the allocation of recall responsibilities between component and vehicle manufacturers, customer traceability and measures to prevent recalled products re-entering the supply chain.
- Designing and conducting a mock product recall exercise for the company's UK operations, including acting as the regulator during the exercise and subsequently advising on recall governance, escalation procedures, regulatory communications, product labelling, document management and preservation of legal privilege during incident investigations.
- Providing strategic environmental and circular economy advice to a global cloud service provider across its UK and European data-centre operations, including waste producer and holder responsibilities, WEEE, batteries and EPR, construction and maintenance waste, environmental permitting, waste heat and Energy Efficiency Directive requirements.
- Advising on the development of a multijurisdictional confidential business information playbook establishing practical procedures for protecting commercially sensitive information disclosed to environmental regulators, including advice on EU and national environmental information laws, trade-secret protections and data-centre reporting under the Energy Efficiency Directive.
- Advising the Government Property Agency on the application of the statutory waste duty of care across its property portfolio, including determining the respective responsibilities of government occupiers, GPA, landlords, facilities-management providers, waste carriers and other contractors, and advising on waste transfer documentation and the extent of due-diligence obligations.
- Advising an international clothing supplier on implementation of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, including packaging design and substance requirements, conformity assessment, technical documentation and Declarations of Conformity, EPR registration and reporting, authorised representatives and allocation of responsibilities across complex international supply chains.
- Advising multinational businesses on the application and implementation of CSRD, CSDDD and the EU Taxonomy, including questions of group scope, value-chain boundaries, reporting obligations, Taxonomy eligibility and alignment, and the impact of EU simplification initiatives.
- Advising this business on emerging EU environmental regulation affecting its international energy trading business, including the EU Methane Regulation and its application across complex oil and gas supply chains. This has included advising on contractual protections addressing methane measurement, reporting, verification and mitigation requirements, advising on certification and trace-and-claim methodologies, and providing cross-border advice on restrictions governing the export of fuels to third countries.
- University of Law – Legal Practice Course, 2014
- University of Law – Graduate Diploma in Law, 2013
- University of Southampton – Philosophy and Politics (Second-Class Honours (Upper Division), 2012
Memberships and Affiliations
- Elected Member of Staffordshire County Council – 2013 to present (Cabinet Support Member for Environment and Climate Change in 2022)