A leading authority in transactional construction and engineering solutions for the energy, industrial, and infrastructure sectors, Stacey Collins at Pinsent Masons frequently advises clients on climate change, net zero, and sustainability strategies, with a particular emphasis on carbon capture and low-carbon hydrogen projects.
He manages crucial client relationships across the energy sector, including with Drax Group and Ameresco, and advises on major UK energy projects such as Carlton Power’s low-carbon hydrogen initiatives and Viridor Energy’s carbon capture programmes.
Stacey’s influence extends beyond his transactional expertise. He co-drafted the NEC’s X29 Climate Change clause and is deeply involved in various decarbonisation taskforces, including those led by Government departments and the UN’s Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative. He also serves on the ICE’s Decarbonisation Board and was the sole legal contributor to the Carbon Reduction Code for the Built Environment, developed by the Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction’s Achieving Net-Zero taskforce.
A prominent speaker and writer on sustainability, Stacey hosted a roundtable at the UK CCUS & Hydrogen Decarbonisation Summit.
Simon Colvin leads Weightmans’ national environment team and its energy and utilities sector. Applying his knowledge from developing the firm’s own internal ESG programme, he guides clients in establishing their ESG frameworks and policies. He also serves in a non-executive capacity on a client’s ESG committee.
Colvin’s experience ranges from advising on the development of a biodiversity net gain programme for rural landowners and acting for a developer on the construction of an Ecotown to advising landowners and developers on solar, wind and hydro schemes. He also has expertise in green leases, government subsidy schemes on renewables, and the EU ETS, CRC scheme and climate change agreements.
His thought leadership extends to regular speaking engagements and publications on the aforementioned topics, including a column in the Environmentalist and a quarterly legal update webinar for the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment on greenwashing.
His commitment to the sector is underscored by his membership of The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management and his active involvement in the Broadway Initiative’s net zero programme and the development of the Environment Act 2021 with DEFRA.
Alongside her role as head of the real estate and future energy team at TLT, Maria Connolly is also the executive board sponsor for the firm’s sustainability strategy. In this capacity, she set the ambitious target for the firm to become a carbon-neutral organisation by 2025 and engaged Carbon Intelligence to develop a robust sustainability programme. She has also established several key partnerships with organisations such as Forest Green Rovers, the Green Britain Foundation, The Chancery Lane Project, and Action Net Zero.
Connolly advises on a broad range of property matters including the acquisition of subsidy-free and operational sustainable energy generation and green infrastructure projects. Her expertise in sustainable energy is evident in her involvement in numerous wind, solar, biomass, and hydro projects.
Beyond her legal work, she acts as mentor for the RegenSW Entrepreneurial Women in Renewable Energy programme and has been appointed to the City of London Law Society Energy Committee. She is also a frequent speaker at industry events, discussing topics such as subsidy-free project modelling, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and multi-technology projects.
Senior counsel at Alta Batalla, Roberto Cordero focuses his practice on environmental and ESG law. He has over 20 years of experience advising national and international clients, including corporates, public institutions and NGOs across Central and South America, on issues related to environmental compliance, due diligence and impact studies with a strong emphasis on sustainability. He also acts for clients in major environmental litigation.
Cordero’s track record includes the promotion of new administrative environmental procedures for sludge valorisation, wastewater treatment options, and air emission treatment regulation, improving clients’ environmental performance and economic productivity.
Alongside his membership in the Environmental Commission of the Costa Rican Bar Association, Cordero also serves as coordinator of the Environmental and Sustainability Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Costa Rica (AMCHAM).
He has written and spoken on sustainability-related matters such as environmental protection in Costa Rica, wastewater management, and ESG and tourism, among many other topics.
With over 15 years of experience in environmental law, Lina Correa heads up Gomez Pinzon’s energy, environment, and natural resources practice group. She specialises in environmental compliance, audits, permitting and sanctions, as well as advising clients on environmental projects and activities both nationally and internationally.
The impact of her expertise can be seen in her recent work: She supported IDOM in determining the potential of using CCUS in the country, contributing to Colombia’s climate change mitigation goals; advised on the constitution of a natural reserve to protect “The Moyas” moor near Bogotá; and assisted in conducting an audit for beauty company Yanbal to verify compliance with environmental regulation, identify potential environmental risks as well as mitigation solutions and sustainable practices, thereby bolstering its ESG profile.
Outside of her client work, Correa often shares her knowledge of environmental issues through speaking engagements, such as recently participating in a webinar discussing water reuse and conservation in the region.
Francisco Santos Costa leads Cuatrecasas’ energy transactional and project development practice in Portugal and regularly assists major foreign investors in significant renewable energy transactions. Santos Costa also possesses extensive experience in projects related to decarbonisation and the energy transition. A key client is Onex Renewables, for whom he handled the acquisition from EDP Renewables of a 221 MW onshore wind portfolio.
Dedicated to driving change beyond the firm, Santos Costa frequently speaks and writes on environmental and ESG-related issues. He moderated the panel Renewable Project Development at Energyear Portugal 2024 and co-authored the energy chapter of the publication Environmental Simplex. Santos Costa is also a member of renewables association APREN, an important player in the development of energy policies in the country.
An expert counsel and head of the environmental law department at Bruchou & Funes de Rioja, Pablo Crimer leads the firm’s recently launched ESG Platform for Climate Action and Sustainable Businesses. Crimer has 17 years’ experience providing corporations with legal advice on environmental and natural resources matters. He often advises companies on green financing and ESG projects, bringing past experience in climate change and sustainable development research whilst working with the Secretary General’s Climate Change Support Team of the United Nations.
Crimer is also a part-time professor on environmental issues in business transactions at Universidad de San Andrés, and regional vice chair for Latin America at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy.
He frequently speaks at events on topics ranging from the energy transition, ESG reporting and sustainable finance to climate change and Argentina’s role in the current global context. Argentina’s daily business newspaper El Cronista featured him in an article on sustainability in 2024, and he also acted as judge for the BritCham Argentina Award for Leadership in Sustainability 2023.
Assunção Cristas co-heads VdA’s environment and climate change practice group and heads the firm’s ESG integrated services platform.
A prolific author and speaker, Cristas participated in a range of conferences discussing topics relating to sustainability, environment, and ocean law, speaking at the COP28 and COP29 summits and at the UN Global Compact. Additionally, Cristas authored a myriad of articles exploring sustainability-related topics, such as climate change regulations in Portugal.
With an extensive academic background, Cristas is an associate professor at Nova School of Law, where she coordinates the master’s degree on ocean governance and directs the Nova Ocean research centre dedicated to ocean studies.
Guillaume Croisant, who coordinates Linklaters’ cross-practice ESG offering in Brussels, is highly sought-after among major domestic and multi-national clients regarding ESG liability risks, ESG compliance, and sustainability regimes.
Croisant serves as ESG counsel to major multinational companies, assisting in drawing up greenwashing and supply chain compliance programmes; in navigating EU sustainability regulations and regimes; and advising on the impact and implications of directives on green claims and waste.
Helping boost the firm’s thought leadership output, Croisant regularly contributes his insight to articles, podcasts, and webinars on green topics including ESG disputes, greenwashing, and supply chain due diligence. Leaving an impact within the legal community, Croisant co-authored a seminal textbook on Belgian law and sustainability and contributed to the UN Global Compact’s guide for general counsel on corporate sustainability.
A notable speaker in the space, Croisant lectures on ESG at the University of Brussels and has spoken on ESG matters before organisations including the Belgian Federation of Enterprises. To help encourage green practices within the legal sector, Croisant is a member of the policy taskforce of the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations.
Mathias Dantin is a key member of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer’s ESG team and a recognised expert on energy and infrastructure regulatory and public law. With a strong focus on the energy transition and decarbonisation sector, his broad experience spans renewable assets, EV charging infrastructure, and carbon capture projects. Dantin also advises developers on energy and decarbonisation strategies for new battery gigafactories.
Internally, Dantin is the founder of the firm’s Paris Decarbonisation Club and externally serves as co-founder of the French Association for Negative Emissions and as an active member of the Syndicat des Énergies Renouvelables, which unites major players in the renewable energy sector.
A prolific thought leader, Dantin regularly produces newsletters on green energy topics for clients. He has also published several insightful articles, including guidance for industrial clients on advancing decarbonisation through clean electricity procurement.
Rhys Davies, ESG & impact expert at Kirkland & Ellis International LLP, brings over 15 years of experience in advising private equity firms, public companies, and project sponsors on the design and implementation of ESG strategies. Supporting the delivery of vital global climate projects, he brings deep expertise on sustainable finance disclosures, green taxonomies, ESG reporting, climate change, and biodiversity loss.
Davies is a leading contributor to the firm’s thought leadership offering, co-authoring insights on topics including the Financial Conduct Authority’s sustainability disclosure requirements and the impact of the COP28 summit across transition finance, the carbon markets, and public- and private-sector decarbonisation commitments.
With a postgraduate certificate in Sustainable Business from the University of Cambridge and an FSA credential from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, Davies provides technical and commercial know-how to support clients’ green transition journeys. He leverages this perspective as a regular contributor to industry discussion, having moderated a panel discussion on climate strategy evolution at the PEI Infrastructure Investor Forum and speaking on global ESG regulation at the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics’ ESG and Compliance conference.
An environment and sustainability partner at Irwin Mitchell, who previously served as environment commissioner for Greater Manchester and founded environmental firm ELM Law, Keith Davidson is one of the UK’s foremost authorities on contaminated land and environmental liability. Dedicated to addressing environmental and climate change challenges, he played a key role in establishing the firm’s Net Zero Hub, offering clients expert guidance on net zero strategies and carbon literacy training.
Davidson’s frequent publications on sustainability and net zero topics include a recent article around reporting scope 3 emissions in the UK’s corporate real estate sector. He is also a prominent industry speaker on net zero, ESG, and PFAS issues, recently sharing his expertise in climate due diligence, PFAS liability risks, and contaminated land liability in a Manchester Law Society webinar.
Davidson’s contributions to the field are further highlighted by his roles as a member of the Law Society’s Climate Change Working Group, the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) contaminated land panel, and PFAS working group.
Martyn Day, co-founder of Leigh Day, is a renowned expert in international, environmental, and product liability law. He has represented communities in high-profile cases, including Zambian claimants affected by pollution from a large open cast mine in the Copperbelt. Since 2022, he has been representing hundreds of thousands of UK claimants in the emissions scandal, targeting car manufacturers accused of manipulating NOX emission tests.
Day’s engagement extends to several memberships and his thought leadership on environmental issues: He is the director of Greenpeace Environmental Trust and routinely publishes, gives lectures and participates in seminars on environmental topics. He and his work regularly feature in the media, and he recently co-authored a guide on environmental action.
Christine Delagaye at AKD places a core emphasis on renewable energy and decarbonisation projects, particularly in the offshore and onshore wind power segments. Alongside a notable strength regarding the interpretation of energy and ESG regulatory matters and mechanisms, Delagaye is an expert across the whole project lifecycle, offering essential advice on the development, construction, operation, and commercialisation of major energy and climate transition assets.
In a cross-border matter, Delagaye assisted Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, as part of its joint venture with Vattenfall, across the tender process and development of its 2 GW offshore wind and 50 MW floating offshore solar project. Within the mandate, Delagaye advised on energy and tender regulation, corporate and competition structuring, project management, and energy offtake agreements.
Delagaye is a keen thought leader across the sustainability landscape and regularly participates in notable industry discussions, having recently spoken at World Forum Offshore Global’s offshore wind to hydrogen subcommittee on the Dutch and Belgian regulatory frameworks. Contributing further expertise regarding green asset development, Delagaye also presented to the Belgian Construction Law Association on project financing matters.
Jean-Pierre Delvigne co-heads Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s energy transition team in France and is a highly regarded lawyer in energy, environmental, and public law matters. With extensive experience in the renewable energy sector, Delvigne recently advised major clients on one of France’s largest financing operations for solar self-consumption, showcasing his deep expertise in innovative energy solutions.
Beyond his client work, Delvigne is an active member of the business community. He is affiliated with the Syndicat des Énergies Renouvelables, where the firm regularly participates in key events. Additionally, Delvigne is a member of Enerplan, an organisation dedicated to advancing solar energy initiatives. Delvigne also participates annually in the Time to Change event organised by GreenUnivers, which explores innovative trends and developments in the green energy transition.
A leading contact within Loyens & Loeff’s energy and infrastructure team, Bram Devlies offers major domestic energy companies a particular focus on regulatory matters, contracts, and operation and revenue agreements within the renewable power sector.
A key client is major solar power player Energy Solutions Group, whom Devlies is assisting in the development of a 75 MW BESS project. Demonstrating his capacity to support throughout the project lifecycle and help ensure the effective operation of vital clean energy solutions, Devlies advised on planning and project development negotiations, due diligence, and the project’s route-to-market agreement.
Devlies is a key figure within the legal community on the energy transition, sitting as a member of the editorial board of the Belgian energy law journal and serving as the firm’s country representative for the Association of European Energy & Climate Lawyers (AEEC) network. Notable for his speaking engagements within this space, Devlies recently presented on the Belgian framework for energy storage at the AEEC’s London conference and elsewhere co-organised and spoke at the International Project Finance Association’s seminar on sustainable heat projects.
Cleary’s Maurits Dolmans is a true leader on the intersection of sustainability regulation with UK, EU, and international competition law. He leverages this vital insight to help enable the legal sector’s collaboration in mitigating global climate and biodiversity risks, assisting Net Zero Lawyers Alliance members with sustainability-related antitrust agreements and concerns concerning the UN Race to Zero, UN Climate Champions, and the Science-Based Targets initiative.
Dolmans provides a leading voice within the firm’s thought leadership output, co-authoring memorandums into topics including the UK CMA’s green agreement guidance and the European Court of Human Rights’ decisions on landmark climate change cases.
Evidencing his leading reputation in the business community, he has co-authored journal articles, including the impact of the KlimaSeniorinnen case for future climate tort litigation, and wrote for the New York University of Law on how antitrust law must not stand in the way of positive climate action. An expert on emerging ESG topics, Dolmans’ speaking posts include a presentation on the business case of climate action for the International Chamber of Commerce’s COP28 summit.
Public law expert Thomas Dünchheim at Hogan Lovells International LLP is a key partner to major domestic and global players within the chemical, energy, and industrial sectors on business-critical sustainability matters. Alongside a particular specialism in conducting environmental due diligence processes for domestic and international transactions, Dünchheim is an expert on environmental and ESG regulation and the establishment of power purchase agreements.
Dünchheim brings leading expertise in the battery asset sector. In a major deal supporting the growth of raw materials development in eastern Germany, Dünchheim acted for tantalum ore producer AMG Critical Materials on the domestic environmental and mining law aspects of its acquisition of a 25% stake in battery-grade lithium hydroxide supplier Zinnwald Lithium.
Through the authoring of incisive insights, Dünchheim makes a notable contribution to the firm’s thought leadership output. Key areas of coverage include the impact of the EU Industrial Emissions Directive, the significance of the Critical Raw Materials Act, and the application of German rules regarding corporate transparency.
Lorena Dunne leads on sustainability and ESG matters within the asset management and investment funds team at A&L Goodbody LLP, providing comprehensive advice on the full spectrum of EU sustainable finance regulations, including the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, Taxonomy regulation, and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
Notably, Dunne leads client work for a significant array of Article 8 and Article 9 SFDR funds, which invest across diverse asset classes to achieve sustainability objectives. Dunne’s expertise also extends to assisting fund management companies and asset managers with drafting and reviewing sustainability-related policies.
Internally, Dunne is an active member of the firm’s ESG and sustainability committee. Externally, she demonstrates her commitment to advancing sustainable finance through her role as a member of the ESG Policy, Legal, and Regulatory Working Group at industry association Irish Funds. In this capacity, Dunne engages with the Central Bank of Ireland on sustainable finance matters, contributing to the development of policies that shape the industry.
Jocelyn Duval co-heads Kalliope’s environment and industry team, as well as its energy and infrastructure practice, bringing extensive experience in high-profile matters. He is particularly noted for his expertise in the renewable energy sector, with a strong focus on the acquisition and development of photovoltaic, wind energy, and biomass projects.
Externally, Duval is an active member of several trade associations within the French renewable energy sector, enabling him to contribute to the evolution and development of regulation and public policies that shape the industry.
A recognised thought leader, Duval is the author of the JurisClasseur encyclopaedia booklet, which provides in-depth analysis of the legal aspects involved in developing photovoltaic projects.
