Sam Kharabanda Groom

Sam is a barrister (2020 call) specialising in planning and environmental law. 

Sam is authorised by the Bar Standards Board to conduct litigation on behalf of clients as well as to exercise rights of audience in all courts in England and Wales, meaning that he can provide a full service to clients in planning and environmental disputes. 

Sam’s practice includes advice on, and written and oral advocacy with respect to, all kinds of contentious planning and environmental proposals and challenges. He has worked with the Freeths team, with King’s Counsel and independently in judicial review proceedings, planning inquiries and planning enforcement prosecutions. 

Sam advises pre-application and pre-determination on planning proposals likely to go to appeal, and he advises on development that has taken place allegedly in contravention of planning control. He has experience advising DCO promotors as well as participants in the TCPA process, including clients in the residential, waste, water and minerals industries, local planning authorities, and private individuals. He also advises on non-planning environmental issues such as abstraction licences and end-of-waste. 

Before qualifying as a barrister, Sam worked as a judicial assistant at the Court of Appeal. He has marshalled at the Planning Court and the Planning Inspectorate.

Sam is listed as a key lawyer in planning in the 2026 Legal 500 directory. He is an elected member of the Bar Council for 2026.