A legal expert on issues around decarbonisation and low carbon energy has been appointed by international law firm Osborne Clarke as energy and infrastructure partner based in its Bristol office.
Hugo Lidbetter, pictured, brings more than 10 years’ experience advising domestic and international clients on policy and legal issues relating to decarbonisation and low carbon energy. 
He joins from national firm Fieldfisher, where he spent the past three years as partner in its energy & natural resource team.
Prior to that he was deputy general counsel of utility EDF Energy’s generation business, and was also company secretary and head of legal of its thermal power division.
He also spent five years at American-British law firm Hogan Lovells, specialising in construction and energy projects.
Osborne Clarke said he brought particular expertise in project development work in the energy sector to the firm – including nuclear, conventional thermal, emergent and renewable technologies – as well as in construction law in the energy industry.
He regularly advises on standard and bespoke forms of construction and operation contracts and related commercial agreements and recently authored Globe Law and Business’s Decarbonising Energy: The Pathway to Net Zero.
Matt Lewis, who heads Osborne Clarke’s energy and utilities sector team, said: “Decarbonisation is one of the key transformation drivers that’s having a huge impact on our clients.
“Hugo brings a wealth of experience both in-house and in private practice, which will help us to grow our current portfolio, and support UK and International clients.”
Hugo added: “OC has an excellent platform and strategy that will provide me with the opportunity to develop my career within a stand-out team that does high-profile work.”
The firm increased its annual UK revenue by 8% to £166.4m for the 2020/21 financial year – an achievement its partners put down to the hard work and flexibility of its people.
Osborne Clarke, which employs 650 people in its Bristol office, grew its energy and utilities practice by 8% in the 2020/21 financial year.
