Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?  
 
A recent innovative commercial transaction in which I have been involved is a contract for a large renewable project. This project involves both domestic and international partners across the hydrogen supply chain, constituting a significant investment in an Australian renewable energy project. We adopted an innovative contractual approach, which involved the development of a commercial risk model. This model was developed in collaboration with the client, their lawyers, commercial staff, engineers, and operations personnel. Its goal was to highlight key performance indicators that would be aligned with key contractual obligations.  
 
Working closely with the client, we identified key relationship principles that were linked to these contractual obligations. Subsequently, a commercial risk model was applied to these contractual obligations as well as an agreed margin at risk to act as an incentive to drive contractor performance. This performance-based contract transparently encourages both the client and the contractor to collaborate to meet the performance indicators that are aligned with the contractor’s targets for executing the services.  
 
Importantly, this contract promotes a collaborative relationship risk model when it comes to the performance of services, rather than taking an adversarial approach to contract management.  
 
What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?  
 
I am lucky to be at the forefront of transactional legal services for a leading international engineering firm, actively supporting the drive towards the energy transition. Many of our clients are at the tipping point of this fast-evolving phase in the energy transition, which is why so much of our legal attention is dedicated to finding solutions and sharing knowledge in the provision of services. These early-phase feasibility contracts demand lawyers with a strong commercial acumen to drive solutions to meet customer needs, particularly in an industry that is constantly evolving in terms of technology, intellectual property, and the different forms of renewable energy.  
 
I am involved in transactional support for a range of renewable energy solutions, including offshore and onshore wind projects, renewable hydrogen, the production and export of green methanol and green hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel initiatives, biomass ventures, concentrated solar energy, and carbon capture and storage projects.  
 
As these clean energy solutions are rapidly reshaping the future of the energy sector, lawyers supporting these contracts need to work collaboratively, as they navigate teams of lawyers, engineers, operations specialists, finance professionals, and commercial experts. Their goal is to use forward-thinking strategies that can accelerate the move to new forms of energy. These contracts are not only more strategic and complex but also face challenges from the different requirements of multiple parties involved. They often entail structured agreements for phased delivery and the sharing of intellectual property between technology providers and the owners of renewable energy assets.  
 
What is a cause, business related or otherwise, that you care about, and why?  
 
Decarbonisation and the concentrated effort shown by professional service providers in supporting forms of renewable energy to become a reality. The development of low-emissions technologies to support the transition to renewable energy and improve energy efficiency is an exciting forum for engineering firms to provide services. These large-scale renewable energy projects are the first of their kind – with substantial investment from the government, private consortium members, and developers looking for innovative legal support to meet the vast array of challenges they face.