Expertise

Rob is a highly experienced Legal Director with over fifteen years post-qualification experience in the Infrastructure, Projects and Energy team at AG. He is listed as a rising star in the Legal 500.

He has a reputation as a go-to lawyer for novel and complex matters, with a broad skillset which reflects experience of running public procurements, and drafting and negotiating construction contracts and a wide range of contracts covering energy, waste, local authority services and outsourcing including PPPs and various types of joint ventures. For example, since 2011, Rob has led our day-to-day advice to a Danish Government entity (Femern A/S) on its procurement of a €6 billion road and rail tunnel between Denmark and Germany. 

Rob has advised all types of parties including sponsors/investors, funders, and procuring authorities at both central and local government level. 

Rob's experience includes:

• Femern A/S: AG are principal legal advisers to Femern A/S (owned by the Danish Ministry for Transport) on procuring a 19km road tunnel between Denmark and Germany (currently one of the largest public infrastructure projects in Europe). Rob has led the team, and has advised Femern since 2011 on the simultaneous procurement of six different works packages. Advice has related to drafting the bespoke contract and security documents, structuring the tender process and the works packages, maintenance/lifecycle arrangements and incentive mechanisms.
• SSE: acted for SSE on a range of transactions across the business, including in relation to street lighting, IT and outsourcing, and the £1 billion Peterhead Carbon Capture and Storage Project, which included developing EPC contracts and a potential joint venture with Shell.
• advising National Grid on key procurements including in relation to compressor maintenance and related contracts in relation to the gas transmission network, and other procurements/contracts including in relation to supply of valves and actuators, heat exchangers, earth switches and cathodic protection
• Barnsley, Doncaster & Rotherham Waste Project: Rob led the team at AG in advising a club of banks funding Shanks/SSE in relation to the £750m Waste project. This project involved the supply of fuel to the new £300 million Ferrybridge Multifuel Plant. Rob led negotiations on the EPC and O&M contracts.
• Trafford Borough Council: Rob led the AG team advising Trafford Borough Council on a pathfinder £235 million outsourcing of services, including taking the lead on the full suite of procurement and contract documents, and leading the legal negotiations with bidders. This involved outsourcing services with a value of 30% of the Council's budget against a very tight timetable as it was necessary to secure the savings by the end of the financial year. We were appointed after the client ended a relationship with another national firm who had started the procurement and drafted the contract, both of which needed substantial changes in short order.