A longstanding adviser to the biggest clients in the sector, Linklaters LLP‘s water practice demonstrates leading experience in advising on regulatory frameworks, financing structures, and competition issues. Leading the team are Mark Nuttall and Natura Gracia; Nuttall specialises in infrastructure, water, and utilities financing, while Gracia is an expert in regulatory, competition, and public law issues in the sector, including price controls, investigations, and public procurement. Elisabeth Johnson specialises in advising water companies on finance, regulation, and capital structure mandates. Emma Crawford is a key contact for regulated utilities regarding financing and regulatory issues.
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Accolades
Client satisfaction: Sector knowledge
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- The depth of knowledge and experience over a quarter century across all parts of the capital structure and involvement with all stakeholders across the board. Huge history with Linklaters and the sector. A Rolls-Royce service. Pragmatic and responsive commercial and practical.
- Excellent coverage across all debt instrument types and general advice within a whole business securitisation.
- Linklaters’ water practice is a highly credible, market-leading team with a particularly strong franchise advising large UK clients. What really differentiates the team is its ability to combine first-rate legal expertise with a consistently commercial approach, ensuring advice is practical, outcomes-focused, and aligned with clients’ strategic objectives. I have worked with the team primarily on financing matters, always against the backdrop of complex regulatory considerations. They are particularly strong at understanding the interaction between financing structures and the underlying regulatory environment, which is critical in the power sector. Compared with other firms, the team stands out for its ability to absorb complex information and client queries, analyze them rigorously from a legal perspective, and then present conclusions in a clear, logical, and commercially framed way. Rather than defaulting to overly technical legal language, they translate complexity into advice that is genuinely usable by decision-makers. From a client perspective, the team is exceptionally easy to work with: they are accessible, responsive, likable, and, importantly, highly trustworthy. There is a strong sense that they are operating as an extension of the client team rather than as external advisers. The practice is also notable for the strength and depth of its people. The partners are exceptionally credible and experienced, and they are well supported by a strong pool of bright, capable senior associates, which gives confidence that matters are being handled thoughtfully and efficiently at all levels.
Key clients
- Thames Water
- Anglian Water
- Affinity Water
- South East Water
- Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water
- Wessex Water
- Southern Water
- GLIL Corporate Holdings 7 Limited
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Emma Crawford
Practice head
Natura Gracia; Mark Nuttall
Other key lawyers
Elisabeth Johnson; Emma Crawford