Overview

James is a leading energy law expert. He is dual-qualified, therefore able to practice throughout England and Wales and Scotland.

James is well-known for providing regulatory and commercial legal advice to developers, funders, licensees and regulators on a wide range of onshore and offshore energy matters. His experience spans the oil and gas, nuclear and renewable energy sectors. He is also an experienced environmental law specialist.

James is particularly respected for his knowledge of the regulatory framework underpinning the UK's gas and electricity markets. James has helped clients put in place robust contractual solutions in the context of gas generation and supply, energy trading, fuel supply, grid connection and heat supply arrangements. He is also currently helping clients to capitalise on emerging opportunities in the smart metering, energy storage and balancing services markets.

Having spent time at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority earlier in his career, James has a keen interest in the legal issues relating to onshore and offshore decommissioning projects. He has recently spent three years as chair of the Oil and Gas UK Legal Issues Forum Working Group on Decommissioning, examining the oil and gas industry's contractual approach towards major offshore decommissioning projects.

Experience
  • Advising Ingenious as fund manager in respect of the acquisition and development of solar, wind, energy from waste and anaerobic digestion projects, including some of the first gas-to-grid biomethane projects in the UK.  
  • Advising Octopus as fund manager in respect of the acquisition of a developing portfolio of gas-fired reserve power projects.
  • Advising Seagreen on grid connection and offshore transmission licensing issues relating to its offshore wind projects in the Firth of Forth.
  • Advising a demand-response aggregator on its participation in providing demand and frequency response services, including in respect of the STOR, FFR, DSBR and Capacity Market regimes. 
  • Advising International Nuclear Services and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on numerous matters relating to the storage, handling, reprocessing and transport of nuclear waste and supply of Mixed Oxide Fuel.

What others say...

He has a strong practice advising a range of clients on onshore and offshore energy projects. One source says: 'He has a very winning way with clients and is very practical and down to earth'.
Chambers UK 2016