Lisa Urbas is a member of PHH Rechtsanwält:innen GmbH’s banking and finance team and specialises in sustainability law, supporting large and medium-sized companies in navigating ESG-related legal requirements. Urbas’ work includes advising on ESG compliance and sustainable finance matters.
Beyond her client work, Urbas serves as co-chair of the Sustainability Board of the International Association of Young Lawyers, where she works to raise awareness of ESG issues among young legal professionals.
Bringing a wealth of regulatory expertise across sustainability, renewable energy, and carbon trading, Alec Van Vaerenbergh at DLA Piper is a standout advisor to energy and industrial companies, governments, and international organisations on innovative and critical energy transition and climate change matters.
Van Vaerenbergh is a key partner to major multi-national industrial clients on the development of emissions reduction and compensation projects and programmes. A notable client is BASF Antwerpen, whom Van Vaerenbergh is assisting on project and joint venture agreements, regulatory and subsidy issues, ETS obligations, and contractual negotiations to develop and utilise the Antwerp@C carbon capture and storage facility.
Van Vaerenbergh regularly delivers key sustainability insights for clients, instructing government officials through the Sustainable Markets Initiative; training the government of Mauritius on the carbon markets within the firm’s pro bono representation of the nation at the COP climate summits; and helping AB Inbev’s sustainability managers navigate carbon pricing mechanisms. A key academic thought leader, Van Vaerenbergh also serves as a visiting lecturer on climate law at KU Leuven and lectures at the University of Oslo on the contract-for-difference regime.
At Deloitte Legal, Dominque Vanherck is an expert on EU energy and climate law, serving as a key partner to public and private-sector clients on the development and operation of renewable and green infrastructure projects. As the head of the firm’s climate and energy team, Vanherck is highly sought-after for her advice on innovative matters including renewable energy support mechanisms, energy communities, and hydrogen production and transport regulation.
In a high-profile mandate, Vanherck is acting for the Belgian state on compliance and regulatory matters regarding the strengthening of CO2 performance standards for commercial vehicles and the phase-out of fossil-fuel vehicles. Vanherck also advised the Public Waste Agency of Flanders regarding the implementation of a digital deposit return system for packaging waste, helping the client navigate the implications of waste directives in order to create sustainable and circular solutions.
Vanherck demonstrates a notable thought leadership engagement across the green landscape. Alongside being a member of the editorial board of Die Keure’s Environmental and Energy Law Journal, Vanherck is an affiliated researcher at KU Leuven’s Institute for Environmental and Energy Law.
Ramon Varela heads up Morgan & Morgan’s energy and ESG practice groups. With over 25 years of experience, he has vast expertise assisting clients with major infrastructure projects in the energy and transportation sectors with a notable focus on the generation of energy through major hydro, wind, natural gas, and solar projects. His client portfolio includes developers, operators, EPC contractors, investors and government authorities.
Besides his recognition as having advised the Government of Panama in the drafting and approval of the law establishing the framework regulation for PPP in the country, he also acted for the lenders on one of the largest wind farms in Central America, in Coclé Province, Panama, and assisted AES Corporation in one of the most important hydroelectric plants in the country, the Changuinola project.
Committed to the promotion of a sustainable future, Varela has also spoken about energy and infrastructure in the country at conferences and workshops, discussing investment needs, the energy transition and sustainable projects in Panama.
Camila del Villar is a part of Martínez Quintero Mendoza González Laguado & De La Rosa’s (previously DLA Piper Martínez Beltrán) environmental law and sustainable development practice group. Applying her extensive expertise within the energy, environmental and natural resources sectors, she assists clients with environmental permits, due diligence, and project financing. With her experience in ESG-related matters, she also co-leads the firm’s ESG working group, which coordinates the integration of ESG criteria into the firm’s service offering.
Beyond her client work, she has held a lecturer position for a course on public law and the energy transition at Los Andes University, and has spoken at events organised by industry associations and think tanks, such as a recent webinar on corporate environmental responsibility and a waste management seminar. She also regularly contributes to the firm’s newsletters giving environmental and sustainability-related legal updates.
Hogan Lovells global board member and corporate and finance specialist Adrian Walker has long-time expertise leading on energy and infrastructure matters, focusing his practice on the delivery of projects which support sustainable businesses and leave a positive social impact. Walker continues this long-term purpose as the firm’s head of ESG and co-lead of the social impact and business integrity groups.
Alongside his longstanding experience in the development and financing of renewable energy projects, Walker takes a leading role in spearheading the firm’s diverse ESG client solutions, including helping launch its ESG Risk Reader, which supports companies in identifying and understanding relevant sustainability risks and building targeted and appropriate mitigation measures.
Walker is a notable thought leader across a diversity of sustainability topics, authoring insights into topics including the ESG requirements of China-based offshore wind supply chains. As a leading voice within the firm, he spoke at its 2023 ESG Game Changers summit, which offered C-Suite and ESG-suite participants insights into how to navigate ESG regulation and sustainability trends in order to drive positive change within their businesses.
Kenneth Wallace-Müller at DLA Piper Weiss-Tessbach Rechtsanwälte GmbH is particularly noted for his expertise in power and natural gas, renewable energy procurement, and power purchase agreements. Additionally, he serves as drafting counsel for various market-standard renewables agreements, including the EFET Corporate Power Purchase Agreement and the EFET Certificate Master Agreement.
Internally, Wallace-Müller is a member of the firm’s carbon markets priority and power purchase agreement workstreams. Wallace-Müller also provides legal support to the firm’s international energy and climate change committee, which underpins the firm’s work in meeting its Science Based Targets initiative commitments.
Externally, Wallace-Müller teaches a course on energy markets at the University of Applied Sciences in Wels. He is also engaged in pro bono initiatives, leading a workshop on electricity infrastructure development, market regulation, and renewable energy promotion for participants from Commonwealth nations as part of the Sustainable Markets Initiative.
Marc Walter, head of Wenger Vieli Ltd’s ESG practice group, provides comprehensive sustainability advice across M&A, private equity, and venture capital transactions, with particular expertise in renewable energy, ESG, and sustainable mobility.
Walter co-heads the firm’s sustainability and ESG committee, overseeing its internal green initiatives. Externally, Walter serves as secretary of the board of Stiftung Umwelt Arena Schweiz, a leading centre focused on environmental and renewable energy issues, environmental education, and sustainable mobility in Switzerland.
An M&A and private equity expert, Johanna Wärnberg at Snellman brings a notable focus on green transactions which boost sustainability initiatives and support transition-aligned projects. Offering deep expertise across renewable energy, electricity infrastructure, and recycling assets, Wärnberg is adept at supporting clients in aligning projects with green regulation and sustainable development goals.
A key client is major automotive and industrial company Schaeffler, whom Wärnberg advised on its additional €165m investment in green impact company H2 Green Steel, which will underpin the two parties’ further collaboration in the development of sustainable metal products.
Wärnberg is a noted thought leader in the sustainability space, making a leading commitment by providing colleagues and the business community with expertise on pressing green and environmental issues.
Renewable energy expert Thomas Warren heads up Eversheds Sutherland’s clean energy projects practice. His experience ranges across the whole spectrum of clean energy projects, renewable procurement and decarbonisation strategies, with additional expertise in other ESG and sustainability-related matters such as electric vehicle charging and energy management software and solutions.
Warren also champions sustainability at the firm itself. He leads the firm’s US multidisciplinary sustainability committee, which is dedicated to implementing environmentally friendly business practices, most recently achieving the SBTi-verification of the firm’s science-based net-zero target by 2040.
Keeping clients updated and educated on the latest green transition topics, Warren regularly contributes to the firm’s news bulletins, guides and reports, and recently spoke about navigating power purchase agreements in the firm’s energy transition webinar series.
At Osborne Clarke, James Watson serves as head of decarbonisation, leading an international team in assisting clients across ESG law and net zero strategies to help create a technology-driven, sustainable, and decarbonised economy. Bringing clients over 20 years’ experience in renewable energy transactions, he is a longstanding advisor to investors, funds, banks, and developers on development, transactional, and finance mandates in the renewable energy, battery storage, hydrogen, bio-energy, and cleantech spaces.
Also serving as international co-head of ESG, Watson helps clients shape and implement their ESG strategies, advising on horizon scanning, reporting obligations, and risk management. He complements this by conducting training sessions for legal and business teams on topics including greenwashing and product labelling, sustainability due diligence, and the voluntary carbon markets.
Supporting the firm’s thought leadership output in this space, Watson takes a leading position within the firm’s ESG Knowledge Update series and was a key speaker in its Decarbonisation Week webinar programme, which provided expert overviews concerning sustainable innovation, climate finance, and greenwashing risk.
Michael Watson heads up Pinsent Masons’ climate and sustainability advisory practice, playing a pivotal role in guiding a dedicated team towards advancing the firm’s comprehensive ESG initiatives. Overseeing the curation of the firm’s ESG-focused products and services, his responsibilities include spearheading the firm-wide learning and development agenda on ESG matters, providing expert guidance on achieving net zero and sustainability targets, and ensuring that strategic initiatives are aligned with the most current climate and sustainability standards. Watson has also been a driving force in helping the firm significantly enhance and expand its impact investment practice and credentials.
In addition to his internal responsibilities, Watson is a well-regarded commentator on sustainability issues. He has provided expert insights on the sustainability disclosure standards published by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), further underscoring his role as a key voice in the ongoing dialogue about effective sustainability practices and reporting standards.
Heading the renewable energy team at Bech-Bruun, Johan Weihe is highly sought-after among major domestic energy companies on regulatory, corporate, and commercial matters across the green power landscape.
Weihe maintains a leading practice among domestic waste and energy companies concerning energy law and regulation. Key clients including Argo, whom Weihe assisted in corporate reorganisation and project development matters concerning its waste-to-energy portfolio, and ARC, whom Weihe advised on the establishment of its clean waste incineration plant. Weihe complements this expertise with a deep competency concerning commercial and project contracts in the offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, and district heating spaces.
Utilising his legal expertise to help boost green knowledge across Denmark, Weihe is a founding member of leading climate think tank CONCITO, assists Circular Denmark in its advocacy on behalf of municipal waste companies, and sits on the special committee for climate within the Association of Danish Law Firms. Weihe is also a notable thought leader, having authored chapters on topics including climate regulation and commercial opportunities in the hydrogen sector.
From Singapore, Lee Weilin heads up Rajah Tann’s sustainability practice group with a long track record advising clients on sustainability-related matters across several industries. She often assists with green financing projects, ESG due diligence, and the creation of carbon credits. Standing out for her experience in the sustainable finance space, she has acted in market-leading matters such as the first sustainability-linked loan in Singapore’s energy sector, and one of the largest bilateral sustainability-linked loans in Singapore’s real estate sector to date.
Weilin is an EFFAS certified ESG analyst. Additionally, she demonstrates her expertise in the sustainability sector by featuring in publications such as Asian Legal Business, where she recently shared her perspective on the impact of ESG in the changing regulatory and legal landscape across Asian jurisdictions.
An expert in energy regulation and project matters, Martin Weitenberg at Eversheds Sutherland assists leading global clients in commercial and contractual agreements, M&A, and project development matters across the renewable energy landscape.
An expert in the power purchase agreement space, Weitenberg assisted leading global chemical group LyondellBasell in negotiating a 208 MW power purchase agreement, securing electricity from the Bartow solar farm. In a cross-border mandate, Weitenberg also acted for Brookfield Asset Management on the European aspects of its PPA partnership with Microsoft, through which the client will deliver 10.5 GW of additional renewable energy capacity across the US and Europe.
A standout thought leader on energy transition matters, Weitenberg regularly speaks at conferences concerning green energy, ESG, and sustainability. Weitenberg also lends his voice to help develop the next generation of sustainability professionals, serving as a guest lecturer on energy supply agreements at the Technische Universität Berlin.
Stefanie Werinos leads PHH Rechtsanwält:innen GmbH’s public and energy law team and brings 15 years of experience in environmental law, offering a particular specialism in advising leading clients on planning and approval procedures for power and infrastructure projects.
Demonstrating her commitment to the sector beyond her legal practice, Werinos founded the Women in the Environment network, which connects and empowers women working across environment, law, and technology. Werinos takes an active role within the network’s regular hosting of events, ranging from networking sessions to tours of environmentally focused companies.
Heading the green team at Holla Legal & Tax, Harald Wiersema is regularly entrusted by leading Dutch companies and government bodies on environmental and energy law matters concerning renewable power, electricity, heat, and water assets.
Wiersema is a key contact among leading Dutch renewable energy development companies, assisting across project development matters and permitting and zoning procedures and appeals. For longstanding client TPSolar and its sister company TPStorage, which are active in the development of PV and BESS assets, Wiersema is advising on environmental, permitting, land use, and grid connection matters in relation to the realisation of a 244 MW portfolio.
A standout figure in academic discourse across the sustainability landscape, Wiersema lectures at VU Amsterdam on nature conservation law and has co-authored legal insights on topics including the status of battery storage within environmental law and municipal-level green energy law and regulation. Wiersema is also active in industry sustainability discussion, acting as a member of the legal working group at trade association Holland Solar while also serving as chair of the board of the Green Business Club Eindhoven.
An expert in energy law and regulation, Torsten Wielsch at Deloitte Legal Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH focuses his practice on the transition of Germany’s conventional utilities into renewable energy-focused companies. Heading the firm’s ESG team, Wielsch brings expertise across contractual, strategic, and contentious mandates concerning renewable energy, green fuels, and the phase-out of hydrocarbons.
In the green fuels space, Wielsch acted for a leading producer in developing a standard contract for the supply of hydrogen and for the establishment of a hydrogen fuelling network for public transport. Wielsch also supports hydrogen network operators regarding financing and project development matters. Beyond this expertise, Wielsch is assisting major energy companies in the development of wind and solar assets, in the negotiation of power purchase agreements, and in corporate strategy matters.
Wielsch regularly shares incisive insights into the energy law landscape, with a particular focus on the hydrogen core network and the legal conditions necessary to ramp-up the hydrogen economy. Wielsch is also an expert on legal and scientific matters concerning the electricity market, helping develop legal tools which map market design and facilitate the use of battery storage systems.
Pollination Law founder and CEO Martijn Wilder brings over twenty years’ experience in Australian and global climate law, serving as an expert voice on legal, policy, and financing mechanisms which support climate change mitigation, biodiversity and conservation, emissions trading, and the net zero transition. He is assisting the government of Timor-Leste regarding its national framework climate change law and advising the government of Fiji on the operationalisation of carbon markets within its climate change act.
Wilder is a key partner to sustainability-focused industry bodies, serving as chair and governing board member of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership, which works to accelerate and catalyse the deployment of clean energy solutions, and as a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, which provides advice to preserve Australia’s land, water, and biodiversity.
Supporting the development of sustainability knowledge in the legal and business communities, Wilder is an adjunct professor of international climate change law at the Australian National University and speaks at the Macquarie Business School session on climate change and the steps necessary to finance Australia’s green energy transition.
Possessing a wealth of experience in the banking and finance sector, Ida Marie Windrup at is an expert on regulatory and transactional matters concerning green and sustainability-linked finance.
Windrup is a leading expert on project financings concerning green infrastructure and the energy transition. A key sponsor-side client is Ventyr, the winning bidder of Norway’s inaugural offshore wind auction, whom Widstrup is assisting in its contemplated €4bn+ project financing. On the lender side, Windrup assisted DNB Bank on the €3.5bn sustainability-linked revolving financing to software company Visma, which will support the borrower in implementing ambitious ESG-linked KPIs.
Helping develop effective solutions to sustainability challenges, Windrup provides pro bono advice to leading financial institutions, including DNB Bank, to help tailor the LMA sustainability-linked riders to their businesses. Windrup also offers major lenders seminars on green and sustainability-linked financings and assistance in understanding regulatory responsibilities.
Windrup is a key figure within the firm’s thought leadership output, co-arranging its forum on project financing the energy transition, which attracted leading developers, sponsors, suppliers, and credit providers to discuss challenges in securing financing for green projects.
