Shoosmiths bolsters Energy & Infrastructure team with hire of two new partners

Law firm Shoosmiths has super-charged its energy & infrastructure team with the addition of two new London-based partners.

Chris Pritchett, who previously led the energy practice at Foot Anstey, and Levent Gurdenli, who was a partner at Weightmans, have joined the multi-disciplinary practice.

Chris is noted for his standout work on energy and mobility projects, specialising in renewables development, energy storage and EV infrastructure as well as energy procurement and optimisation both in the UK and further afield. He has a keen interest in the evolving nature of renewables development and the wider energy ecosystem, ranging from alternative financing and ownership, open energy data, biodiversity and agri-voltaics and innovative offtake and PPA structures.

Recognised by industry press as a leader for his pioneering work in renewables and energy storage, he is regular conference speaker and thought leader in the sector and is passionate about policy development to enable the Net-Zero transition.

Levent Gurdenli is a renewables and decarbonisation lawyer, with a strong track record of delivering renewable generation, storage, and low carbon heating projects for clients across the UK internationally. He is very active in the rapidly expanding market for corporate power purchase agreements, advising a range of stakeholders to procure renewable power to decarbonise their operations and to improve their long-term energy security, an increasingly important issue for all private and public sector organisations. 

Levent has a particular interest in the evolving ESG landscape and helping clients to improve their sustainability impact, having recently completed business sustainability management course at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

The appointments come at an important inflection point for Shoosmiths’ energy & infrastructure team as the firm grows its capability and receives growing instructions from clients in the UK and internationally on complex projects. The new partners follow the recent addition of Calum Stacey (legal director, Glasgow) and James Haikney (principal associate, Leeds).  

James Wood-Robertson, head of Shoosmiths’ energy & infrastructure team, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Chris and Levent to Shoosmiths. They are a crucial addition to our group of sector specialists who have exceptional experience across commercial, corporate, banking, construction, real estate, planning and regulatory services. 

“Demand for legal services in the clean energy and infrastructure space has never been higher from clients in the UK and internationally and the combined appointments of Chris and Levent will be the catalyst for significant growth of the sector team and the commercial group in London and nationally. 

James added: “Building on an already-strong platform of energy and next-generation infrastructure work, their appointments are testament to Shoosmiths’ ambition to excel in this sector, and significantly moves the needle on the firm’s expertise and ability to win and deliver more strategic energy and infrastructure projects to help fulfil its clients’ objectives. 

“I am looking forward to working with Chris, Lev and our energy & infrastructure wider team to meet our ambitions and continue to deliver excellence for our clients for what matters to them in this increasingly important and rapidly-changing sector.”

Chris Pritchett, energy & infrastructure partner at Shoosmiths, said: “I am excited to be joining a firm with not only an enviable track record, but serious ambition to consolidate itself as the leading advisor on clean energy and infrastructure projects, both in the UK and overseas. I’m proud to be part of Shoosmiths’ own robust Net Zero and sustainability commitments, and I’m already enjoying working alongside the team –a highly capable, passionate, and extremely personable group.”  

Levent Gurdenli, energy & infrastructure partner at Shoosmiths, said: “It’s a pleasure to be joining Shoosmiths at such an exciting stage of the firm’s development. I’m especially excited by the prospect of working with such a formidable, ambitious, and experienced team.

“We have big plans, and I can’t wait to get stuck in to deliver excellence to our clients in the renewable energy and infrastructure sectors on projects which matter to them the most.”