"a strong
multidisciplinary team that is a go-to for large and complex
transactions."– Chambers & Partners
We have an
exciting opportunity for an experienced senior lawyer to join our UK Real
Estate team, focussing on matters within our Energy & Energy Transition
("EET") sector. This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing
team and advise on high value, strategically important projects within a
supportive and collegiate environment.
Our energy and
utilities practice
We are widely
acknowledged as the leading adviser on the move to a decentralised and
decarbonised energy industry and adoption of innovative energy solutions and
have adopted decarbonisation as one of the themes underpinning the firm's
Transformational strategy. As well as advising our clients within this space,
we are also helping major corporates meet their net zero commitments from an
energy perspective.
Our Real
Estate energy team focuses on acting for institutional investors, funders in
and developers of renewables and energy innovation projects. We have extensive
experience in providing real estate advice to our high profile clients on an
extensive variety of energy projects, including solar, wind, battery storage,
energy from waste and hydro power. Our practice is growing rapidly and we are
growing our real estate team to support strong client demand.
Our Real
Estate utilities team works with English and Welsh utility companies, including
those in the electricity, water and gas industries, on a wide variety of work
including all land rights and consenting matters. Both contentious and
non-contentious. The team also work with clients on large scale compulsory
schemes – both CPO and DCO led.
Osborne
Clarke’s wider real estate team acts on a comprehensive range of high value and
complex investment, development and other transactional matters, including
corporate structured deals, joint ventures and financings. The team works day to
day alongside our construction, real estate disputes, planning, corporate and
funds and finance teams.
The team
Our Real
Estate team is based across Bristol, Reading and London and is made up of over
100 Fee-earners, including 22 partners.
We are looking
to recruit a Real Estate lawyer with experience in either energy or utilities.
Our Real Estate energy and utilities team is led by Partners, Charlotte Walker
(energy) and Jonathan Mills (utilities). You will work closely with Charlotte
and/or Jonathan (depending on the matter in hand) and also have the opportunity
to work with the head of our UK EET sector, Matt Lewis (Partner) alongside
several other Partners and senior lawyers with a focus on large-scale transactions
across the EETsector. There will also be plenty of scope to work with
colleagues across different service lines, given the nature of the work.
The work
Recent work
examples include:
- Advised
long standing client and leading independent infrastructure and private
equity investment manager, Foresight, on an £80 million investment by two
of its funds into a portfolio of biomethane Compressed Natural Gas
refuelling stations for HGVs, which will enable fleets to switch from
diesel to carbon-neutral fuel.
- Advised
Foresight Solar on the £245m debt refinancing of a portfolio of 28 UK
solar assets.
- We
represented Aberdeen Standard Investments on the £105m refinancing of
Albion Capital's Albion Community Power UK-based renewable energy
portfolio.
- We
acted for The Renewables Infrastructure Group (TRIG) on its acquisition of
the Neilston Wind Farm and InfraRed Capital Partners Limited in its
acquisition, development and subsequent sale of the 50MW Afton Wind Farm.
- Advised
specialist asset manager Gresham House on its acquisition of a 50MW solar
farm from Anesco as part of a £100 million partnership. Gresham House and
Anesco signed a three-year development and construction agreement back in
January, which will see them develop a 200MW ground mounted solar PV
portfolio in the UK.
- We
advised Green Frog Power on the refinancing with Macquarie and buy-out of
their 214MW STOR operations and InfraRed on the sale of the Viridis 230MW
CM-backed gas-peaking portfolio.
- Advised
National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) on the DCO for the
connection to RWE's Brechfa Windfarm. The project included the consenting
of the electricity line and compulsory purchase of 32km of overhead and
underground 132kV. It includes acquisition on land rights from the Crown
on tidal waters across the Towy River.
- Advised
on the Bicester to East Claydon Connection Project as sole advisor to
Southern Electric Power Distribution (SEPD) on its first schedule 3
Electricity Act CPO. OC provided full-service support, including land
rights and compulsory purchase strategy.
- SEPD
- Project 500: sole adviser on a distribution network reinforcement
project, securing voluntary arrangements with approximately 500
landowners.
- Advised
Ecotricity on the successful promotion of the Heckington Fen Solar Park
Order 2025 (a c.500MW solar farm DCO with 400MW of energy storage, 400kV
9km cable route, and NGET extension), including all aspects of the
environmental impacts and grid connection options in Lincolnshire
including interactions and commercial arrangements with Triton Knoll OFTO
and Viking Link Interconnector.
- Advising
NGED on acquisition and development strategy for various primary
substation developments required to facilitate the HS2 Project. This included advising on the scope of HS2's powers,
negotiating the terms of the relevant GVDs, advising NGED on permission
requirements, including relevant environmental permissions, assisting with
the appeal of a planning refusal and assisting in the acquisition of land
rights required.
- Acting
for NGED and advising on all aspects of the HS2 Hybrid Acts, including
negotiating the design and construction agreement, drafting precedent GVDs
used in the project, assisting in the project management of all required
diversions and new connections, settling disputes around NRSWA, addressing
landowner claims and disputes, including those escalated to MPs, assisting
in the external comms strategy for the project, securing land rights for
the project and resolving day to day project management issues with HS2
and the DfT.
Technical
skills and experience
You will have
gained experience within a well-respected Real Estate practice and be able to
demonstrate a range of knowledge and experience of energy or utilities
projects.
Due to the
structure of the team and fast growth of our EET sector, we are looking to
appoint a Senior Associate or Associate Director with a passion for this area.
Your career
development
Like all our
lawyers, you will benefit from our multi-award winning career development
programme. At each stage of your career this provides you with:
- Clear expectations of your role and what
it takes to progress
- High quality clients and work, with early
responsibility and client exposure
- Thorough assessment and individual
feedback from a range of experienced colleagues
- Robust technical training with early
skills based development, increasingly tailored to you
- Reward for your contribution, progression
and potential, rather than PQE or tenure
Our recruitment process
We welcome direct applications for our opportunities - if you would like any further information about this role or the firm, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact, in complete confidence, Angharad Jenkins on [email protected]
Please note we review and progress applications on a rolling basis. At Osborne Clarke we do not make any recruitment decisions using automated decision-making.
We are committed to providing an environment where you can perform to the best of your abilities at every stage of your recruitment experience and beyond. If you require any adjustments to be made during the application stage, interview process, or when working with us, please let us know in confidence.