Aonghus Heatley | Public and Regulatory | Fieldfisher
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Professional background

Professional background

I assist clients in the chemicals, food and beverage, electrical goods, real estate and automotive sectors across a broad range of legal regimes including those relating to:

  • established and incoming environmental, sustainability and reporting regimes including CSRD, CSDDD; EUDR, right to repair, eco-design; PPWR, producer responsibility; environmental taxes; and single-use plastics;
  • green and sustainability claims;
  • product laws, including product recalls, safety, labelling requirements, composition and PSTI;
  • environmental stewardship, compliance and operational issues (including PFAS); 
  • chemicals (REACH), pesticides, biocides and labelling (CLP), f-gas, etc.;
  • carbon reduction, emissions and energy use;
  • regulatory investigations and responding to regulatory enquiries, including in relation to the Environment Agency, the OPSS, Trading Standards and their equivalents in other EU countries; and
  • the environmental aspects of corporate and real estate transactions, including the allocation of environmental risks, due diligence; permit transfers, environmental insurance, the appointment of environmental consultants and remediation exercises.  

I also provide advice on public law matters, public international law and consumer law matters.  I am a contributor to The Chancery Lane Project.  

I was listed as a 'key lawyer' in my team in the 2024 and 2025 editions of Legal 500.  Clients have praised my “great regulatory knowledge”, described me as being “fun to work with” and remarked that I have “a business mindset, high integrity and a good judgement”.  

In 2023, I undertook a secondment to Fieldfisher's Brussels office and I regularly work with Fieldfisher lawyers in other jurisdictions on cross-border matters.  

Prior to joining Fieldfisher in 2021, I worked at the London and Hong Kong offices of Mayer Brown and at Greenberg Traurig in London.  In 2017-2018, I was seconded to Volvo Trucks (part of the Volvo Group) in Gothenburg, Sweden.  In 2008, I undertook an internship at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague, Netherlands where I worked on the Prosecutor v. Prlić et al case under Karim Khan (now the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court).

Qualifications:

I am qualified in:

  • England and Wales;
  • Ireland (non-practising); and 
  • New York (non-practising).

Education:

  • LPC from Kaplan Law School;
  • LL.M. in Public International Law from Leiden University; and
  • LL.B. in Law & Politics (1st class) from the Queen's University Belfast (with a year studying business and law at Shenandoah University in Virgina, USA).

My LL.M. thesis on the compatibility of Irish nationality law with international law was published in the Irish Yearbook of International Law.  I have also contributed to the Oxford Reports on International Law.

Authored pieces

All Resources
Close-up of the colorful, curved pages of an open book, fanned out to create a visually striking pattern. The pages feature various shades and hues, creating a vibrant and abstract appearance. The background is blurred in soft purple tones.
Public & Regulatory
Insight

PFAS Regulation in the UK and European Union: November 2025 Overview

07.11.2025
This article was originally published as 'PFAS: UK Regulatory Snapshot' in March 2023 and has been periodically updated since then to reflect significant new developments. 
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A stack of colorful spiral-bound notebooks lies on a flat surface, featuring blue, purple, and pink covers. A sharpened pencil rests diagonally across the top notebook. The notebooks are slightly askew, creating a layered, overlapping effect.
Public & Regulatory
Insight

EU Commission proposes 'targeted' measures for timely implementation of the EU deforestation regulation

27.10.2025
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Public & Regulatory
Insight

How are microplastics regulated in the UK and European Union?

20.10.2025
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Three illuminated display shelves, each differently colored (purple, blue, and pink), showcasing various bottles, jars, and containers commonly used for cosmetics or personal care products. The items are neatly arranged, creating a visually appealing presentation.
Public & Regulatory
Insight

New EU packaging and packaging waste rules: 10 key things every global business should know

15.10.2025
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Public & Regulatory
Insight

PFAS and the risk of greenwashing in the UK

08.08.2025
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – so-called 'forever chemicals' – are receiving ever-increasing attention, both from the public and the authorities.  Many businesses and industry sectors now have to consider their exposure to PFAS-related risks. 
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