Legal 500 UK Green Guide

Shoosmiths has been ranked as a recommended firm in the newly published Legal 500 Green Guide UK.

The Guide recognises firms with a clear focus on sustainability, climate change mitigation and supporting the green transition.

Shoosmiths is recognised for the pre-eminent legal expertise its team are providing to clients, as well as the firm’s internal practices and net zero ambitions.

The UK green hydrogen market and other innovative renewable and low carbon technologies increasingly require legal support at all stages of development, with L500 highlighting Shoosmiths’ standout work:

“In the clean energy space, a recent work highlight was the firm’s advice to ABO Wind on the site assembly and corporate documentation for the largest battery project disposal in Northern Ireland and the client’s first battery storage project. In Belfast, a team is also assisting AIB with its multi-million financing of the acquisition of a portfolio of wind projects across Northern Ireland, including reviewing of project sites and documents.

“At the forefront of subsidy-free renewables in the UK, the firm has handled matters such as advising ERG spa on the site assembly and development of the 46.88MW Evishagaran Wind Farm site, the first subsidy-free wind farm in Northern Ireland.

“The firm is also active in the burgeoning hydrogen market, acting for leading hydrogen electrolyser ITM Power as well as advising Solo Renewables on its portfolio of hydrogen production projects.”

Shoosmiths’ planning practice was also singled out as a market leader when it comes to nitrate neutrality expertise:

“The planning team is leading the way in addressing nitrate neutrality issues in England. Matthew Stimson and Grace Mitchell are providing legal planning advice to Roke Manor regarding the restoration of a former pig farm and development of a nitrate mitigation scheme on land at Roke Manor Farm in Hampshire. The scheme provides nitrate mitigation for the residential development within the Solent region in accordance with the Habitats Regulations.”

The guide emphasises that firms must clearly demonstrate the progress being made when advising clients in this area, while delivering on internal goals and measures to reduce their carbon footprints.

Shoosmiths was able to impress L500 researchers as a signatory to a number of climate change related initiatives, highlighting in particular:

“UN Global Compact (UNGC) signatory Shoosmiths has adopted the ambitious goal of its scope 1 and 2 emissions reaching net zero by 2025 with SBTi-approved near-term targets to reduce emissions across the firm’s entire value chain by 50% by 2030 from a 2020 base year. The firm also assisted the UNGC in the leadup to COP26 by supporting the UN Global Compact Network UK’s 2021 ‘Transitioning to Net Zero’ webinar series, including the firm’s chairperson Peter Duff partaking as an event guest speaker.”