Public law permeates the business and affairs of utilities. 

In the UK, the water, gas, telecoms and electricity sectors are all overseen by independent regulators.  The nature of utilities’ operations brings them into constant contact with planning law, environmental laws, competition law, human rights law, EU law and procurement law, as well as with their own sector-specific regulatory regimes.  Some utilities are still in state ownership or are still a monopoly provider.

We count a number of major utilities among our clients.  We have developed key relationships with SSE, Scottish Water and Northern Ireland Water, and we provide them with both regulatory and transaction-related advice.  Our relationship with Scottish and Southern Energy dates back to the privatisation of the Scottish electricity industry in 1991. 

Our links with Scottish Water have evolved from our work with the Scottish Office in 1996 in setting up the three regional water authorities which eventually merged in 2002 to form a single, publicly-owned authority.  We are also advisers to other players in the utilities sector, in particular project lenders and private sector contractors.