Lux Nova Partners Limited’s Tom Bainbridge is an expert in the delivery of clean energy projects. Building off a wealth of experience across the clean energy segment, Bainbridge now focuses his practice on the clean heat segment.
A key client is the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, whom Bainbridge assists in the delivery of the Heat Network Investment Programme and Green Heat Network Fund. For the client, Bainbridge advised on all legal aspects of the funding application, award, and contract process, helping enable the UK district heating sector to effectively scale up and delivery low-carbon heat to consumers.
Bainbridge has contributed to the establishment of best practice across the clean energy segment, including publishing a set of government-sponsored free-to-use template district heating contracts. Bainbridge also sits as a member of the Heat Trust Committee and served as director of the UK Emissions Trading Group until 2024.
Heading the global ESG practice at Linklaters LLP, Rachel Barrett is a key contact on pressing ESG governance and risk management mandates. A trusted advisor on strategic ESG matters, including navigating regulator and stakeholder obligations and expectations, Barrett supports major global corporates and financial services companies in meeting disclosure requirements, managing risk, and effectively planning for the green transition.
Bringing deep expertise on how multinationals can leverage opportunities within the sustainability regulatory and risk landscape, Barrett acts for Barclays in navigating ESG regulation, climate disclosures, sustainable finance matters, and in implementing its ESG strategy.
Barrett plays a key role in shaping the firm’s green commitments, including supporting the internal sustainability team in navigating climate disclosures, understanding the legal sector’s climate-related risks, and preparing its sustainability report. Barrett helped design the firm’s ESG accelerator programme, which supports global teams in integrating sustainability considerations into their client work.
Jannis Bille heads Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP’s UK ESG team and is a key contact across transactional and regulatory matters. Focusing his practice on ESG and climate change issues, Bille acts for leading multinational companies – particularly in the consumer goods, resources, and commodities spaces – in climate change risk management mandates and navigating regulatory frameworks including CSRD, CSDDD, and the EU Taxonomy.
Bille is an expert in navigating regulatory matters regarding the energy and low-carbon transition, including the EU Methane Regulation, EU Batteries Regulation, EU CBAM, and sustainable fuels regulation.
Bille is a leader on climate matters in the legal and business communities. Alongside serving as a trustee and co-chair of Legal Response International, through which he provided pro bono legal support to developing countries in the COP28 and COP29 climate negotiations, Bille also supported the International Council of Mining and Metals in creating its scope 3 guidance. Internally, Bille played a key role in the development of the firm’s CSRD Mapper tool and Climate Fresk workshop.
An expert on construction, commercial, and concession contracts, Nathan Bradberry at Bevan Brittan LLP is highly sought-after among energy developers, local authorities, and investors, particularly concerning district heat and power projects.
A key client is the BXS joint venture, which is managing the design and delivery of the district energy scheme for the Brent Cross South development. Alongside his advice on the delivery of the utility networks, Bradberry also assisted in the deployment of funding from DESNZ’s Green Heat Network fund, supporting the project to become net-zero carbon by 2030.
A thought leader across the clean energy sector, Bradberry regularly speaks on green heat topics, including chairing a panel on heat network developments and hosting presentations on the district heating space. Bradberry also led the establishment of the firm’s internal environmental sustainability group, which is working toward carbon reduction and neutrality, environmental management, and staff awareness-raising.
Boasting a wealth of expertise on natural capital and novel environmental law issues, Richard Broadbent at Freeths LLP is a leading authority on the intersection of law and policy in the sustainability arena.
Broadbent possesses broad experience in matters concerning protected sites. In a mandate which helps improve the legal regimes protecting biodiversity, Broadbent acted for the Office for Environmental Protection in its review of the frameworks governing protected nature conservation sites.
A key thought leader across the sustainability landscape, Broadbent speaks at industry and educational events concerning nature conservation and biodiversity, participates in podcasts and webinars on nature and sustainable development, and authors articles on developments in the habitats, biodiversity, and nature recovery spaces. Broadbent also provides public and private sector clients with training on topics including marine ecosystems and biodiversity net gain.
Bringing deep operational risk and environment expertise to his roles within Travers Smith LLP’s ESG and impact group and ESG transactions and advisory sub-committee, John Buttanshaw acts for leading multinational corporate clients on business-critical sustainability mandates.
A key client is KFC, whom Buttanshaw is advising on environmental and climate risk, reporting, and compliance matters, helping navigate the regulatory landscape surrounding topics including packaging waste, circular economy, climate change, biodiversity, and deforestation. Buttanshaw is also acting for Meta regarding its compliance with EU CSRD and NFRD reporting obligations and navigating supply chain risk under the EU CSDDD.
As a leader of the firm’s ESG initiatives committee, Buttanshaw supports the delivery of internal sustainability programmes including the implementation of low-carbon procurement and circular economy practices. A notable thought leader in the sustainability space, Buttanshaw is active on the British Property Federation’s sustainability committee and elsewhere speaks on topics including nature-positive legal solutions.
As the environmental team head and sector lead for energy and utilities at Weightmans LLP, Simon Colvin is a notable advisor across a diversity of clean energy, carbon and emissions management, and ESG mandates.
A key client is construction group VINCI, whom Colvin is assisting in its internal carbon management upskilling and in the development of a PAS 2080 standard-aligned action plan. The mandate makes a significant contribution toward the client’s carbon reduction plan by boosting its management of whole-life carbon in buildings and infrastructure.
Colvin plays a key role in the development of the firm’s internal ESG strategy and works to build an awareness of sustainability challenges and opportunities among junior staff. Alongside this role, Colvin supports the firm’s participation in the Legal Sustainability Alliance and Greener Litigation Pledge. Colvin is also a member of the Global Association of Impact Lawyers and a fellow of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals.
Possessing longstanding experience at the forefront of the UK’s clean energy sector, Maria Connolly at TLT boasts strong relationships with leading renewables developers. As head of the firm’s future energy team, Connolly assists in development, commercial, and transactional mandates across the renewables generation and storage segments.
In a high-value mandate, Connolly acted for renewables and sustainable agriculture developer AGR power in negotiating a virtual Power Purchase Agreement with Manchester City Council. The matter is key in advancing the decarbonisation of the city.
Serving as the executive board sponsor for the firm’s sustainability strategy and as a member of its impact committee, Connolly is committed to building green dialogue and best practice internally and assessing how the firm can play a positive role regarding its people, environment, and community. Extending her leadership into the business community, Connolly is a founding member of the Regen Entrepreneurial Women in Renewable Energy programme.
Keith Davidson at Irwin Mitchell leverages longstanding expertise at the forefront of environmental law issues to advise on climate change and environmental liability issues. As a core focus of his practice, Davidson assists in navigating net zero readiness assessments and by integrating climate clauses into transactional documents.
In a high-value mandate, Davidson is advising the shareholders of FM Conway on its sale to VINCI Construction, assisting in environmental due diligence, negotiating environmental indemnities, navigating contaminated land issues, and advising on UK and EU Emissions Trading Scheme issues. Davidson also provides expertise on PFAS contamination matters.
Davidson is a key voice on sustainability best practice within the legal sector. Alongside serving on the Law Society drafting group for its practice note on conveyancing and climate risk, Davidson sits on the Law Society climate change working group, where he provides insights into topics including net zero ambitions and climate action within the real estate and environment spaces.
An energy sector expert and co-head of Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP’s EMEA PPA practice, Simon Davies is a leading authority on high-value and complex transactions in the renewables space. An expert on route-to-market strategies, Davies regularly assists in the negotiation of clean power supply and green gas procurement agreements.
In a landmark mandate, Davies acted for renewables power platform Brookfield in negotiating and drafting PPAs to deliver clean power to Microsoft across Europe. The mandate facilitates the development of additional wind and solar power capacity and is a key example of how corporate decarbonisation strategies and large-scale PPAs can support the growth of the clean energy sector.
As a member of its internal sustainability and ESG team, Davies assists in the firm’s green power procurement. Davies also plays a key role in the firm’s thought leadership output, including leading webinars on green power procurement and publishing articles on topics including grid connection issues.
Leveraging a wealth of experience in complex cross-border disputes and investigations, Jean-Pierre Douglas-Henry at DLA Piper stands out for his knowledge of environmental and social risk and climate litigation strategies. Alongside leading the firm’s client-facing sustainability and ESG offering, Douglas-Henry guides its internal sustainability and responsible business engagement.
As part of his engagement as managing director of sustainability, Douglas-Henry has overseen the firm’s international representation of Georgina, Madagascar, and Mauritius in the Blue Zone at the climate COPs since 2023 and its representation of Madagascar at the biodiversity COP since 2024. Internally, Douglas-Henry sponsored the firm’s commitment to the Science-Based Targets initiative and was executive sponsor for its landmark power purchase agreement with NextEnergy.
Douglas-Henry plays an active role in promoting sustainability and climate best practice within the legal sector, sitting on the steering committee of the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance and representing the firm in the Charter 1.5 Working Group and the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s legal taskforce.
Bringing longstanding planning and environmental law expertise, Kee Evans at Foot Anstey assists clients across a diversity of energy and infrastructure sector mandates. Alongside a specialism in the consenting of renewable energy projects, Evans regularly assists in contaminated land issues and the allocation of environmental liability.
In the renewable energy space, a key client is Future Energy Llanwern, whom Evans is assisting in the consenting of a 400 MW solar farm. The mandate supports the client in securing the applications necessary to significantly augment Wales’ clean energy capacity.
A committed thought leader, Evans regularly partners with The Chancery Lane Project to help boost green best practice in the legal sector, including hosting a webinar which reflected on COP29 and how lawyers can use sustainability-focused clauses to help clients achieve their climate ambitions. Evans also serves as a strategy group member of clean energy industry association RenewableUK Cymru.
Heading the renewable energy team and chairing the net zero service at Burges Salmon LLP, Ross Fairley is a key port of call for energy developers and operators, investors, and public sector clients on innovative and pathfinding projects and schemes.
Fairley is currently playing a key role in the growth of the UK’s green hydrogen sector. Acting for Wales and West Utilities, Fairley is providing regulatory advice and assisting in devising model contracts for the transport and usage of its 130km Hyline Cymru hydrogen pipeline, which will help provide a route-to-market for 4.5 GW of offshore wind in the Celtic Sea and deliver clean power to decarbonise industry in South Wales.
Owing to his longstanding expertise and leadership in the clean power space, Fairley chairs Renewable UK’s strategy forum. Fairley also helps spearhead the firm’s green energy thought leadership, where he hosts podcasts and videos into topics including asset repowering and renewables project lifecycles.
Co-heading Travers Smith LLP’s ESG and impact group, Heather Gagen is a key contact on novel and critical contentious climate and sustainability mandates. Building off her broad commercial litigation practice, Gagen brings leading experience on large-scale tort and parent company liability claims, reputationally significant disputes and investigations, and corporate risk management matters.
In a business-critical mandate, Gagen acted for agriculture corporate group Camellia in proceedings invoking parent company liability regarding alleged human rights abuses within its subsidiaries’ operations in Kenya and Malawi. The matter is crucial in establishing precedent for how companies should manage ESG risk throughout their value chains.
As part of the development and delivery team of the firm’s sustainability insights academy, Gagen supports the ESG training provided to the firm’s legal and business services teams. Gagen also extends her leadership within the legal community, participating in panel and podcast discussions on topics including ESG litigation.
A key contact among major multinational clients across a diversity array of green matters, Matthew Germain helms Osborne Clarke LLP’s environment and sustainability practice and leads the net zero function within the firm’s decarbonisation team.
Complementing his expertise on environmental matters including contamination, biodiversity, and environmental credits, Germain also acts for leading corporates in navigating sustainability due diligence issues, ESG supply chain risk, climate reporting requirements, and green labels and claims. Germain is also a notable thought leader on topics including voluntary and regulated carbon markets.
Committed to boosting sustainability within the firm, Germain serves as the chair of its sustainability steering group and guides internal efforts to mitigate adverse carbon impacts and operate as an environmentally sustainable business. Within his role in leading the firm’s sustainability steering group, Germain is working to roll-out carbon literacy training to upskill all employees on how to tackle the climate crisis.
Combining longstanding experience in the derivatives and structured products space with a strong commitment to ESG, impact, and DE&I, Jonathan Gilmour at Travers Smith LLP is a key contact among corporates and finance providers on innovative mandates.
In the renewables sector, Gilmour assisted Bagnall Energy in establishing an FX hedging arrangement with Santander in order to hedge dividends and asset value within the acquisition of a wind farm in Finland. The matter is a key example of how innovative financial packages can promote the growth of the clean energy space.
Boosting green legal best practice, Gilmour serves as a member of the UK regional board of the Global Alliance of Impact Lawyers, through which he contributed to a report on blended finance. Gilmour is also a member of organisations including the governance committee of the UK Voluntary Carbon Market Forum, the industry development committee of UK Sustainable Investment & Finance, and the International Securities and Derivatives Association ESG working group.
Serving as chair of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP’s global ESG leadership team, Silke Goldberg has a wealth of experience advising international clients on emerging and pressing energy law and regulation. Building upon her expertise in the low-carbon energy space, Goldberg brings deep knowhow regarding climate change strategies and reporting requirements and carbon market developments.
Supporting the reliable delivery of clean power to the UK grid, Goldberg advised Transmission Capital Partners on its successful bids for the East Anglia One and Moray East offshore transmission cables. A further key client is the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance, whom Goldberg assisted in developing an investment toolkit to help African countries unlock adaptation and mitigation projects.
Through Legal Response International, Goldberg regularly provides pro bono advice to developing nation governments on climate change strategies and governance. Goldberg is also a notable academic thought leader on topics including climate law, ESG disclosures, and offshore power regulation.
Possessing deep expertise regarding green and sustainability projects within the public and regulated sectors, Sharpe Pritchard LLP’s head of net zero Steve Gummer is a key contact on regulatory and development mandates.
For key client Ofgem, Gummer advised on revenue arrangements, regulatory protections, and monopoly and competition matters for its first-of-a-kind project licence for carbon capture, transport, and storage. The mandate was crucial in facilitating the adoption of the new licence and plays a key role in the delivery of the Northern Endurance Partnership and Net Zero Teesside Power projects.
Complementing his thought leadership regarding sustainability and environmental issues in the water sector, Gummer regularly authors articles into topics across the energy and low-carbon transition. Gummer’s recent insights include explorations into heat network frameworks, long-duration energy storage regulation, and the UK’s carbon and nature markets.
Andreas Gunst brings longstanding experience regarding green and low-carbon project development and commercialisation to his role as co-chair of DLA Piper’s global climate transition group.
A key client is Arcadia eFuels, whom Gunst is advising on the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of a project in Denmark which utilises green hydrogen and carbon dioxide to create carbon-neutral sustainable aviation fuel. Further demonstrating his regulatory expertise in the green fuels space, Gunst assisted Central European Gas Hub in the establishment, development, and promotion of its GreenGas platform, helping facilitate the national and international trade in biogas certificates.
Gunst is a leading voice in key industry associations across a diversity of energy transition and low carbon technologies, including serving as a board member of the Carbon Markets and Investors Association; as chair of the drafting contract standardisation committee of the Hydrogen Council; and as chair of renewable energy trading and certification organisation RECS International.
As ESG lead at TLT, Alexandra Holsgrove-Jones focuses on integrating sustainability within the firm’s legal services, working to ensure cross-practice helps clients anticipate and navigate emerging sustainability developments.
A core area of focus is the realisation of net-zero emissions in the built environment, with Holsgrove-Jones leading training for major domestic clients on integrating ESG clauses within their leases. Leveraging this expertise, Holsgrove-Jones sits on The Chancery Lane Project’s (TCLP) advisory committee for the built environment and its priority drafting working group, and elsewhere led a team in developing a TCLP toolkit to navigate climate-aligned drafting in the property industry.
Committed to boosting the firm’s internal sustainability profile, Holsgrove-Jones set up a TCLP-aligned working group to promote sustainable drafting in the firm’s legal solutions. Holsgrove-Jones was also responsible for formalising the firm’s ESG credentials, establishing an internal programme, operational structure, and information-sharing hub to best integrate and communicate ESG internally.
