National law firm Ashfords has continued to grow its offer to the energy and waste sectors with the appointment of Carl Thompson as energy and construction partner in its Bristol office.
Carl, pictured, joins from Osborne Clarke in Bristol, where he worked for 14-and-a-half years, rising to partner to lead its bioenergy & waste team. 
At Osborne Clarke he advised on a wide range of clean energy projects – from onshore and offshore wind, energy-from-waste and anaerobic digestion to battery storage, solar and tidal developments.
Recognised as an expert by the Legal 500 director, he is an experienced adviser on complex large-scale commercial construction and engineering projects across rail, energy, waste and social infrastructure.
Carl said: “As decarbonisation, sustainability and the climate agenda play an increasingly significant role in our daily lives, it wasn’t a difficult decision to join Ashfords and be part of their growing team in this area.
“They have a fantastic track record advising businesses across the energy and waste sectors and a highly experienced construction & infrastructure team regularly advising on major projects across the UK.”
Ashfords head of energy & waste Brian Farrell added: “The firm has extensive experience advising across a wide range of clean energy, energy storage and waste and resource management projects – as well as on the wider sustainability agenda.
“We know how to support the organisations and funders delivering the change needed to achieve the UK’s decarbonisation strategy and to create a more sustainable economy.
“Carl is an extremely well-regarded expert and his expertise builds further the support we can provide clients in this area.”
Ashfords head of construction Patrick Blake said Carl brought with him a deep knowledge and understanding of the legal and contractual complexities involved in the delivery of significant energy, construction and infrastructure projects.
“I am delighted that our clients will have the benefit of Carl’s pragmatic expertise to help them pursue their objectives,” he said.
“This will add further to our established team of construction lawyers who have extensive experience working across the energy and waste sectors, housing and regeneration schemes and on a wide range of infrastructure projects.”
Carl’s arrival is one of a number of recent senior energy and waste sector hires, including corporate partner Kim Hawkins, planning legal director Stephen Humphreys and commercial litigator Anusheh Burcher.
This forms part of the firm’s wider growth strategy, with business risk & regulation partner Ian Manners, property litigation partner Warren Reid and real estate partner Robin de Wreede also joining the firm over the past year.
Ashfords, which employs around 500 people across its offices in Bristol, Exeter, London, Taunton, Tiverton and Plymouth, grew turnover to £47.9m for the financial year ending 30 April 2021.
