England - London • Projects, energy and natural resources
Stephenson Harwood
A 'strong, partner led team' possessing an 'excellent understanding of the key legal and commercial issues across all of the major infrastructure sectors', Stephenson Harwood handles a considerable number of PFI and PPP projects, working closely with contractors, lenders and public sector bodies on financing arrangements and the development of new, critical projects. Team head Jonathan Cripps has expertise in energy, transport and accommodation-related mandates, and is a go-to for asset-management issues. Rebecca Carter works on a portfolio of mandates including both private and public sector work. Phil Harris is a very active member of the team, providing counsel on many of the firm's key development mandates. Navpreet Atwal's arrival from Boodle Hatfield LLP has further strengthened the group's capabilities and bench.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team has an excellent understanding of the key legal and commerical issues across all of the major infrastructure sectors. A strong partner led team is supported by excellent associates. Extremely approachable and easy to work with.’
‘Jonathan Cripps has an encyclopedic knowledge of infrastructure and is highly respected in the market. He is extremely commercial and easy to deal with. Phil Harris has excellent technical knowledge.’
‘For me, the thing that distinguishes the team is the active listening. There are lots of firms with comparable PFI experience. However, this team is the one that listens best to what I need as a client. Knowledge of PFI, commercial projects etc is no good if it is not tailored to meet the needs of the client/ the particular situation.’
‘Rebecca Carter provides excellent customer care. As well as having a wealth of knowledge and experience she is also very personable and caring. Phil Harris also knows his stuff. He is pragmatic and gets the job done.'
‘The team blends specialism with general business acumen when dealing clients. They deal with specific challenges and problems yet bring solutions that contribute to the success of an objective rather than it becoming a distraction.’
‘Jonathan Cripps, Rebecca Carter and Phil Harris all go above and beyond the call of duty. They have a deep understanding of specific requirements as well as ensuring that the wider impact of projects is taken into consideration without losing sight of the objective.’
‘There is close and detailed attention to the issue we face and a willingness to come up with solutions.'
‘Stephenson Harwood has provided a first-class service. The team has been exemplary in their dedication, enthusiasm, and professionalism.’
Key clients
- North London Waste Authority
- London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
- Connect CNDR Limited
- Connect Roads South Tyneside Limited
- Balfour Beatty Living Places Limited
- Connect Roads Sunderland Limited
- Sunderland Streetlighting Limited
- Albany SPC Services Limited
- Semperian Asset Management Limited
- Roehampton Hospital Limited
- Connect M1-A1 Limited
Work highlights
- Advised on all aspects of the acquisition of Amey plc's management services business. This included advice on the acquisition as well as carrying out due diligence on underlying operational PFI/PPP projects.
- Advising NLWA on all legal aspects of its £1.2 billion North London Heat and Power Project since its inception – a multi-year programme to build a new Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) at the Edmonton EcoPark in Enfield. Also advising on the client's carbon capture and storage project.
- Advising Connect M1-A1 Limited. This is a PFI road project involving counselling the project company on the replacement of the existing central reserve steel vehicle restraint system with a rigid concrete step barrier, along with associated works.
Lawyers
Rising stars
Leading Individuals
Jonathan is the head of our firmwide decarbonisation area of focus. He also leads our projects, energy and infrastructure team in London. Jonathan leads the delivery of our strategy to provide a full range of decarbonisation services across the energy, transportation and trade, and the built and natural environment sectors to support our clients achieve their decarbonisation, net zero and sustainability goals. He leads an international team of decarbonisation lawyers from across all the jurisdictions we operate in. He has over 30 years of advising on major energy and infrastructure projects, including within the renewables sector in both the UK and internationally. In renewables and energy transition, Jonathan acts for sponsors, lenders, operators and construction and engineering contractors across the full range of technologies from solar, wind, energy from waste, electric vehicles, geothermal, direct air capture, through to hydrogen and nuclear. Within the broader infrastructure market, Jonathan has advised on every UK government infrastructure programme since the 1990s, including PFI and all its derivative forms. Internationally, Jonathan is active on major projects in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Jonathan Cripps