Michael Burns > Ashurst > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Ashurst remains a dominant force in the oil and gas sector, fielding a team of lawyers with experience in handling mandates across the full value chain, from traditional upstream, midstream and downstream work to clients investing in energy transition. Michael Burns leads the group, attracting a spread of high-profile clients for his in-depth knowledge of project development and M&A, while Julia Derrick, who predominantly deals with sales and acquisitions of hydrogen and oil and gas assets, and Quentin Robinson, who specialises in project development, offer their support. Sanja Udovicic and Matthew Wood are also recommended, with Wood’s finance expertise securing him a wealth of oil and gas cross-border transactions.

Ashurst retains a prominent position in the London infrastructure market, advising a deep roster of global asset managers and energy developers on a litany of energy transition and infrastructure transactions, both domestically and overseas. The group’s multifarious focus spans telecoms, battery storage, EV charging, district heating networks, ports and ferries, and social infrastructure builds. Jason Radford and Michael Burns co-lead the practice; Radford is reputed for the breadth of his company and asset portfolio deal sheet, while Burns is a trusted adviser to a wide array of infrastructure focused funds and asset managers. Gaby Jones handles both buy-side and sell-side instructions pertaining to renewables, digital infrastructure, and energy transition projects, while Laura Ho‘s acquisition finance skillset is routinely sought by private equity sponsors and institutional investors. Other key figures include Dallan Pitman, who is chiefly recognised for his private M&A proficiency. The firm deepened its offering through the hire of M&A specialists Julia Derrick and Sanja Udovicic, both of whom came from legacy firm Shearman & Sterling in May 2023.

Ashurst‘s renewables and alternate energy offering covers a host of domestic and multijurisdictional mandates, including project financing and development, M&A, and arbitrations. Global energy co-head Michael Burns is a seasoned transactional partner whose experience in energy transition covers green hydrogen, solar, and battery storage. Antony Skinner‘s capabilities span the development and financing across wind solar, and battery storage developments, while Anthony Johnson‘s expertise includes hydrogen, tidal, waste to energy and biomass to energy projects. Particularly experienced in UK and Nordic matters, Gaby Jones is noted for her M&A acumen, with recent highlights including high-value disposals of wind assets and investments into international hydro projects. Lindsey Bouchara is recommended for transactions concerning wind farms, solar parks, biomass plants, and energy from waste facilities.