Paul Thwaite > Stephenson Harwood > London, England > Lawyer Profile

The ‘extremely knowledgeable team’ at Stephenson Harwood is ‘always pragmatic and at the forefront of all developments in the rail sector’. It has a broad depth of rail expertise across the firm on a whole host of contentious and non-contentious matters including all issues relating to franchising and concession matters. It remains an integral player in the rolling stock market by advising a broad range of procurers, operators and manufacturers on major deals both nationally and internationally. It has particular experience too of assisting train operating companies on procurement issues as well as handling all aspects of rail regulation. Tammy Samuel and Suzanne Tarplee co-head the practice that includes Darren Fodey who has considerable experience in rail regulation and regulated contracts. Paul Thwaite deals with various commercial disputes. Ron Nobbs and Lisa Marks are both well-regarded.

Stephenson Harwood acts for public bodies, developers, occupiers, and contractors, both in the UK and internationally. It offers advise across a range of sectors, including engineering, public procurement, infrastructure, real estate and energy. The practice is co-lead by Ron Nobbs, who primarily focuses on acting for supplier and purchaser clients, and Paul Thwaite, who specialises in delay and disruption cases for contractors. Charlotte Heywood is notable for her specialism in rail disputes.

The ‘exceptionally smart lawyers‘ at Stephenson Harwood represent a diverse client roster (spanning major brands, private equity funds, governments and high-net-worth-individuals) across a full range of high value litigation matters, often with parallel proceedings in several jurisdictions. Edward Davis and Paul Thwaite jointly lead the team. At partner level, ‘force of nature‘ Sue Millar, ‘razor sharp‘ Richard Garcia, Genevieve Quierin (who specialises in competition private enforcement actions) and Guy Harper (whose focus is on the oil and gas, financial services, and fine arts sectors) are singled out. In terms of senior associates, Chris Pettett is the name to note.