Martin Polden

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(23 June 1928 – 5 April 2023) was an English solicitor noted for his contributions to

environmental law Environmental laws are laws that protect the environment. The term "environmental law" encompasses treaties, statutes, regulations, conventions, and policies designed to protect the natural environment and manage the impact of human activitie ...

Biography

Born as Martin Alan Podeshva in

Clapton, London Clapton is a district of east London, England, in the London Borough of Hackney. Clapton is divided into Upper Clapton, in the north, and Lower Clapton to the south. Clapton railway station lies north-east of Charing Cross. Geography and orig ...

, he attended the

Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, is a selective boys' grammar school situated in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. As a state school, it does not charge fees for pupils to attend, but they must pass the 11 plus, an exam that some pr ...

. At the school, he demonstrated political acumen and a flair for

writing Writing is the act of creating a persistent representation of language. A writing system includes a particular set of symbols called a ''script'', as well as the rules by which they encode a particular spoken language. Every written language ...

, contributing to his school magazine on topics like the Hyde Park Orators. After studying

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

, Polden trained with WP Davies & Son before founding Polden & Co. in 1958. The firm underwent several name changes, eventually becoming Rubinstein Callingham Polden & Gale. Polden played a pivotal role in establishing the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF) in 1992 and co-authored ''The Environment and the Law: A Practical Guide'' in 1994. His services to

were recognized in 2006 when he was awarded the OBE.

References

1928 births 2023 deaths English solicitors Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English lawyers 21st-century English lawyers Environmental lawyers People educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe {{law-stub