From courtrooms to canopies: UK lawyer launches first-ever tree law firm

Sarah Dodd reshapes legal practice with UK’s first firm dedicated entirely to tree law.

The UK’s first dedicated tree law firm has taken root, with solicitor Sarah Dodd creating a practice that treats trees not as background scenery but as central characters in disputes, planning, and even social media conversations.

From neighbour rows about overhanging branches to questions of preservation orders, trees have long been a recurring but underexplored feature of property and environmental law. Dodd has made them her firm’s entire focus, opening what is believed to be the first law practice in the country specialising exclusively in arboreal issues.

Her work covers the everyday conflicts many households will recognise — whether a neighbour’s oak casts too much shade, whose responsibility it is to trim roots invading a driveway, or what rights developers have when faced with protected trees on a construction site. But it also stretches into broader debates on sustainability, urban planning, and the way our legal system acknowledges the role of trees in mitigating the climate crisis.

Dodd’s firm has attracted attention not just for its niche specialism but also for how it communicates. Through TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms, she has built a following by explaining knotty legal questions with a fresh, accessible tone. Clips of her untangling disputes over garden hedges and viral posts about landmark tree protection cases have brought the complexities of property law into mainstream conversation.

In doing so, she has managed to merge the formal world of legal practice with the urgency of environmental activism and the relatability of social media. Her message is simple but striking: trees matter, and the law around them matters too.

For Dodd, the move is more than just a business venture. She frames it as part of a wider cultural shift in how the legal profession must respond to climate change. “We can’t afford to see trees as incidental,” she has said. “They are assets, protectors, and living parts of our communities. The law needs to recognise that.”

Tree law, as Dodd defines it, is about more than settling disputes. It is about embedding respect for the natural environment into the legal structures that shape people’s lives. With cities seeking to plant more trees to combat heat, and campaigners fighting to protect ancient woodlands from development, her practice is arriving at a moment when environmental questions are no longer niche concerns but urgent national debates.

The rise of her firm reflects a growing appetite for specialist legal services linked to sustainability. Where once environmental law was seen as the preserve of government policy or corporate regulation, Dodd’s tree-centred approach has made it personal — about neighbours, communities, and individuals.

Her innovation also speaks to the profession itself. Law firms have traditionally competed on size and breadth, offering services across the board. Dodd has turned that model on its head, showing how a hyper-focused specialism can resonate with clients and wider society alike.

The experiment appears to be working. Her tree law practice has not only secured real cases but also tapped into a viral conversation online, where clips of her explaining property rights or debunking myths about cutting down old trees have reached millions of viewers.

In blending law, environmentalism, and digital storytelling, Sarah Dodd has cultivated more than just a firm. She has created a new way of thinking about the everyday trees in our streets and gardens, showing that even the most familiar parts of our environment deserve their day in court.