Energy and Natural Resources
We have been immersed in the energy and natural resources sector for over thirty years. As the sector has grown and evolved over that time, so too has our offering. Starting from the earliest stages of project development, our role covers the entire lifecycle of projects, and we advise across the full spectrum of technologies (both mature and emerging). Now, at a time when the need to tackle the climate crisis has never been more acute, we are working hard with clients across the sector to achieve their clean energy and decarbonisation ambitions.


“We can rely on Shepherd and Wedderburn’s sector knowledge and experience to give us commercially sensible advice, backed by technically sound legal skills.”

Chambers (2025)


The depth and breadth of our expertise puts us at the forefront of the energy and natural resources sector. Our clients have access to the skills of over 120 lawyers from 18 legal practice areas, all working together to provide a legal offering that is cross-disciplinary and truly sector-focused.

A number of those lawyers have completed secondments with our energy clients, giving them a deeper understanding of the market opportunities and the key challenges facing those clients. A number of our Partners also have gained unique insights in many different ways, including: as a senior regulator at Ofgem; on the boards of a number of sector trade bodies; and as part of strategic working groups seeking solutions to help drive this sector forward.

Over several decades we have advised on many innovative, unique and complex projects, starting with some of the UK’s first commercial onshore windfarms and progressing into advising across a wide variety of mature and emerging technologies. During this time we have also advised on all of the significant reforms to the UK electricity market, which gives us a valuable additional perspective. And because we work closely with a number of the main industry bodies, including RenewableUK and Scottish Renewables, we are part of the conversation about policy and how best to unlock the UK’s potential to become a clean energy superpower.

We advise on the full spectrum of technologies, and on all kinds of projects including clean energy generation, decarbonisation technologies and natural resources. We have worked with clients on projects with a capital expenditure of under £1 million up to and including the largest syndicated deals of over £2.5 billion, often starting from the earliest stages of project development and continuing for the full lifecycle. Those clients include developers, investors and funders, technology innovators and providers, the wider supply chain, industry bodies, and research organisations. We work hard to be an integral part of each client’s team so that our respective strengths are combined to deliver successful projects.

In short, our team has the deep legal expertise, commercial awareness, drive and sectoral knowledge required to help clients across the sector to achieve their goals.

Highlights at a glance

Over

years' experience

legal experts

legal practice areas

Our expertise includes advising on:

  • Planning and environmental
  • Real estate (both onshore and offshore)
  • Construction, procurement and supply chain
  • Regulatory (for both established and emerging technologies)
  • Grid connection
  • Offtake arrangements (both CfD and PPA and covering both electricity and hydrogen)
  • Corporate Structuring and Corporate Finance
  • Project Finance
  • Dispute resolution

We also offer sector specialist advice in other areas, including ports and harbours, aviation, employment, immigration, intellectual property, rural and crofting, and health and safety.

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We have expertise in all areas of energy and natural resources, including:


Meet our key contacts

Lisa Ambrus

Senior Associate

David Anderson

Partner and Head of Property and Infrastructure Disputes

Sophie Bailey

Senior Associate

Colin Bathgate

Senior Solicitor

Patrick Bell

Partner

Ian Bowie

Partner

Sophie Brown

Senior Solicitor

George Bruce

Senior Solicitor

Andrew Buchan

Senior Solicitor

Nathaniel Buckingham

Partner

Jonathan Carey

Solicitor

Kevin Clancy

Partner

Stephen Colliston

Partner

Stewart Crosbie

Senior Associate

Emma De Sailly

Senior Associate

Rebecca Devine

Senior Solicitor

Gordon Downie

Partner

Iain Drummond

Partner and Head of Commercial Disputes and Regulation

Leonore Dupont

Director

Natasha Durkin

Senior Associate

Joseph Fitzgibbon

Senior Associate

Katy Fitzpatrick

Senior Associate

Roddy Forgie

Director

Clare Foster

Head of Clean Energy and Partner

Gillian Gibbons

Director

Gabriella Gilmour

Senior Solicitor

Christopher Glendinning

Associate

Aileen Gordon

Senior Associate

Jamie Grant

Consultant

Fraser Grant

Partner

Olivia Greener

Senior Solicitor

Stuart Greenwood

Partner

Petra Grunenberg

Partner and Head of Rural Property and Business

Kirsty Headden

Partner

Emma Hendrie

Senior Solicitor

Stephanie Hepburn

Partner

Leigh Herd

Partner

Elaine Hunter

Partner

Morag Hutchison

Partner

Colin Innes

Partner

Lisa Kinloch

Director

Louisa Knox

Partner and Head of Pensions

Matthew Lamberton

Senior Associate

Hamish Lean

Partner

Richard Leslie

Partner

Magdalena MacLean

Partner

Ewan MacLeod

Partner

Cath Macrae

Senior Associate

Scott McCallum

Partner

Ashley McCann

Senior Associate

Euan McLeod

Partner and Head of Infrastructure

Katie McNab

Senior Associate

Liz McRobb

Consultant

Jamie McRorie

Partner

Deborah Miller

Consultant

Emma Moir

Senior Associate

Nick Mole

Senior Associate

John Morrison

Partner

Euan Murray

Partner

Sophie Philip-Davidson

Senior Solicitor

Ben Pilbrow

Partner

Martyna Proczek

Solicitor

Lynsey Reid

Senior Associate

Emma Reid

Director

Scarlett Retallack

Senior Associate

Francis Reynolds

Senior Associate

Colin Robertson

Partner

Alison Rochester

Partner

Kenzie Sharkey

Senior Associate

Sarah Shepherd

Senior Solicitor

Joe Shields

Solicitor

Chloe Shields

Senior Solicitor

Nigel Sievwright

Partner

Euan Small

Senior Solicitor

Donald Smith

Partner

Ruaridh Smith

Senior Solicitor

Tom Swan

Partner

Susan Swan

Partner

John Townsend

Partner

Stephen Trombala

Partner

Richard Turnbull

Partner

Jennifer Westall

Consultant

Claire Wheatman

Associate

Graham Young

Partner

Paul Young

Partner

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