DLA Piper’s infrastructure team advises institutional investors, infrastructure funds and government clients across the full asset lifecycle. The team is particularly active in digital infrastructure and energy transition mandates, and is frequently engaged by UK public sector bodies for advice on high-profile and significant infrastructure projects. Team head Martin Nelson-Jones is regularly instructed to advise on M&A transactions across the full range of infrastructure verticals. Demonstrating a strong track-record in debt finance mandate, Derwin Jenkinson's ‘technical expertise in regulated utilities is second to none’. Paul Doris acts for funds and corporates on domestic and cross-border M&A and private equity transactions, while Steven Bryan brings notable expertise across subsectors including power and utilities, digital infrastructure, and midstream energy. Jonathan Paines and Simon Winterburn also come recommended.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Solution minded, proactive advice. They understand the point of view of the business and the needs and priorities of in-house legal functions. Highly dependable, in depth advice whenever needed high flexibility.’
‘Derwin Jenkinson’s technical expertise in regulated utilities is second to none. He is capable of dissecting and breaking down very technical issues and distill into understandable impact for both financial and legal teams. His manner of working and delivery of output is highly efficient without producing work for the sake of work.'
'Derwin Jenkinson has a wonderful calm demeanour that can cut through the toughest negotiations, remaining conciliatory whilst not giving up on what’s really important to clients. You can tell he cares about the issues and about his clients. As inhouse counsel, he has my 100% trust.'
‘DLA Piper’s M&A practice stands out for its global reach, industry depth, and very good cross-border execution. With deal teams operating across jurisdictions, we benefited from integrated advice combining both local insight and international strategy. The team is especially strong in complex, high-value transactions, with deep sector expertise in infrastructure.'
- 'What sets the practice apart is its collaborative approach and commercial mindset—lawyers work as true business partners, anticipating risks and driving deals forward efficiently.'
‘A combination of technical excellence, commercial pragmatism, and genuine collaboration. DLA Piper’s M&A lawyers focus on getting deals done efficiently while managing risk in a way that aligns with clients’ strategic goals.'
- 'The team brings a balanced mix of legal rigor and business acumen, paired with a collaborative, client-first mindset that makes working with them both effective and enjoyable.’
‘The M&A team has always been by our side. Consistency, reliability and commercial advice is key for us and we get this in abundance.’
Key clients
- Amber Infrastructure Partners
- Quickline Communications Ltd
- Digital Bridge / MEAG / Infranity consortium
- Arcus Infrastructure Partners LLP
- Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS)
- Elgin Energy Es Co Ltd
- Cube Infrastructure Managers
- Société Générale
- MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company
- Agility Trains
- His Majesty's Government
- National Wealth Fund
- PGIM Private Capital Limited (Pricoa)
- Hive Energy Ltd
- National Gas
- National Grid Electricity System Operator Limited
- GasT MidCo Limited
- Iduna EVCI Asset Co 1 Limited/ Be.EV
- Energy Infrastructure Partners AG
- InfraRed Capital Partners ("IRCP")
Work highlights
Advising Arcus Infrastructure Partners on aspects, including preparing a vendor due diligence report, of its sale to EQT Infrastructure of Constellation Cold Logistics.
Advising Cube Infrastructure Partners on the sale of Umove, Denmark's largest privately owned operator of public transport, to JP Morgan Asset Management.
Advising a consortium of investors led by MEAG and Infranity, along with funds affiliated with DigitalBridge Group, Inc., on certain post-closing aspects of the formation of an investment partnership with Vantage Data Centers.
Lawyers
Leading partners: Corporate and M&A
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Martin Nelson-Jones
Other key lawyers
Derwin Jenkinson; Paul Doris; Steven Bryan; Jonathan Paines; Simon Winterburn