Sectors
Energy, Utilities & Environment Sector Solicitors
Legal advice for businesses operating in the energy, utilities & environment sector
Our energy, utilities and environment solicitors are expert legal advisers to the industry, including individual and institutional investors and funders, technical advisors, developers, entrepreneurs, utility firms, environmental and waste technology companies, landowners, aggregators, CICs, inventors and environmental scientists, contractors and suppliers and have vast experience in the sector.
We have direct industry-relevant expertise in environmental law, including planning matters and liaison and negotiation with local government and planners, regulation and regulatory matters, government support and subsidies.
Our offices are in Sheffield, Birmingham, Cambridge and London if you need a meeting, but we typically work remotely to keep our overheads low which enables us to offer our innovative pricing packages.
Our services to energy, utilities and environmental businesses cover
Finding the right legal partner
Why work with Harper James
Choose a legal partner you can trust: we’ll help protect your goals, your business and your people so you can move forward with confidence and focus on growing your business.
Affordable, transparent and predictable pricing
Clear itemised invoices, subscription plans with up to 50% discount, and fixed fee products help you plan and manage legal spend – with no nasty surprises.
Proven track record and measurable results
We’ve supported over 8,000 businesses since 2014, with an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot and a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 60+ from monthly client surveys.
Straight-talking, responsive advice
We’re here to make things easier, not add complexity. That means fast response times, practical expert legal advice delivered in plain English, and dedicated client service and account management support.
Risk and compliance assured
We’re an SRA regulated firm, but more importantly, we build quality, data, and compliance best practice into everything we do.
Appointing a legal partner is a big decision. That’s why we’re open about our values, culture and model, so you can see what makes us tick. And because a productive partnership starts with understanding, we always begin with a conversation – listening to your goals, pressures and plans, then tailoring our support to fit.
What our energy, utilities and environment solicitors do
From interpreting the latest changes to feed-in tariffs, to understanding the application of emerging technologies in renewable energy and power such as solar, wind and hydroelectric, our dynamic team of expert energy, utilities and environment solicitors can ensure you keep up-to-date and legally compliant, as well as proposing innovative solutions in this challenging field.
Our specialist energy, utilities and environmental solicitors ensure that they stay up-to-date with emerging technologies on a global level. We understand that our clients need to be flexible and responsive to new and emerging technology, in particular in relation to energy storage, and we have particular expertise in the relevance and applicability of energy law in community energy projects.
As a law firm specialising in the energy sector and energy law, we’ve advised clients who finance or construct renewable energy projects such as solar farms, wind turbine and hydro-electric plants, liaising with investors, landowners and manufacturers and advising on transactional and regulatory matters. Harper James’ energy, utilities and environmental lawyers have a broad range of expertise in these challenging sectors, and have advised energy companies on transactions and projects focussing on various aspects of energy law.
- Our energy-from-waste solicitors can advise you on the multitude of issues arising during the construction, maintenance and management of waste-to-energy solutions, including anaerobic digestion projects, energy from waste plants, and waste solution projects including transportation and handling, connection to grid and greening technology projects.
- Our specialist oil and gas lawyers cover a range of advice including upstream, midstream and downstream transactions, exploration and exploitation of new territories, licensing, concessions and shared service arrangements, acquisitions and disposals, exploration and development activities, production, processing and refining, pipelines, transport and storage.
- Harper James’ team of nuclear lawyers can advise on new build, commissioning and de-commissioning nuclear installations, processing and transportation of waste over the short-, medium- and long-term, operational issues at plants, and have advised on a range of regulatory issues on a global level, including in the developing world
Legal advice for energy, utilities and environment businesses
Whatever the nature of your business in the energy, utilities and environment sectors, we understand that environmental technology changes quickly. As well as providing specialist legal advice in the energy, utilities and environment field, our lawyers have experience in the most pressing issues such as:
Intellectual property
We can help with protection of your IP, IP disputes, developing an IP strategy for your energy, utilities or environment business, and protecting and challenging patents.
Funding and construction finance
We can advise on financial aspects of energy, utility and environment projects, as our banking and finance team along with our construction finance experts co-operate in a collegial manner to ensure the seamless delivery of your project from day one. If you are an investor, or seeking capital for your energy project, our venture capital team has extensive knowledge and experience in dealing with third-party investors.
Joint ventures and contract disputes
Our venture capital, corporate and M&A teams can help structure energy transactions such as joint ventures and start-ups, and our commercial disputes and corporate teams work together to resolve disputes arising in energy contract transactions and environmental projects to protect your contractual rights.
Commercial property
Whether your project involves a green- or brown-field site, our team of commercial property solicitors are on hand to help you liaise with landowners, government, investors and partners to ensure that underlying property issues are correctly identified, documented and managed.
Energy, utilities and environment solicitors with sector expertise
Our energy sector solicitors are very experienced, many having worked as partners in top 100 law firms. Some of their previous work with energy, utilities and environment companies includes:
- Advising a client who provides full end-to-end systems and services for UK energy suppliers and businesses entering the energy market.
- Acting for a UK manufacturer of structures for nuclear application. Defending and passing on claims of defective workmanship in relation to welding and non-destructive testing.
- Acting for a range of commercial property landlords and tenants regarding solar panels on roofs.
- Dispute resolution of contractual disputes relating to the provision of utilities, as well as waste management and recycling contracts.
- Acting for a major plc in the compulsory purchase and contractual purchase of agricultural land in connection with the laying of four major gas pipelines across approximately 300 miles of the country.
Find out more about our solicitors with specific energy, utilities and environment experience within their respective practice areas here:
Pricing and service plans
Legal support designed
to fit your business needs
Our three transparent service plans are designed to give you the widest possible access to high-quality legal advice, whatever the size and nature of your business:
Engage
Flexible access to senior solicitors at highly competitive rates
An alternative to our subscription plans, offering access to full service legal expertise on a project-by-project basis.
Enable
Purpose built legal support for start-ups and smaller businesses
Monthly subscription plan for £239 per month, with £159 monthly credit and access to all legal services at 50% discount on our Standard Rates.
Extend
Comprehensive legal partnership for established businesses
Fully account managed and scalable annual subscription plan with support from a curated team of partners and senior solicitors, with up to 33% discount on our Standard Rates.