The new energy practice includes Rod Hutchison, partner and energy sector lead; Ritchie Whyte, partner and head of corporate and business advisory; Gemma Perfect, commercial real estate partner; Nicola Gray, employment partner and Elaine Elder, dispute resolution partner.

Senior associates Danny Anderson and Erin Shand provide additional expertise and support to the team.

Rod Hutchison, energy sector lead at Aberdein Considine, said: “With increased uncertainty around energy, exacerbated by the changes in the fiscal regime and the challenges of the acceleration towards net zero, we wanted to consolidate our extensive experience and hard-won reputation in the industry by establishing a dedicated, specialist energy practice.

“Being headquartered in Aberdeen, it’s a given that we have many oil and gas clients but as they diversify into decommissioning and other forms of energy and our client base grows, extending into renewables, carbon capture and storage, and hydrogen, we are focusing our efforts on being best placed to help them navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by the energy transition and the ever-changing regulatory and fiscal landscape.”

Mr Hutchison explained that one of the recent challenges, due to increasing fiscal pressures, means oil and gas operators are adopting a more bullish stance on issues such as risk allocation.

“Our clients are being presented with contracts that pass on significantly more risk than would have been customary in the past under the industry’s widely adopted and internationally recognised LOGIC standard contracting regime,” he said. “We act for a lot of SMEs in the energy supply chain and there has been significant uptake by clients seeking advice about framework agreements for the provision of goods and services and we expect to see more of this moving forward.

“We have also seen an uptake in our energy clients engaging with us to carry out a health check on their employment terms and conditions, and employment practices and policies. They are increasingly alive to the fact that being proactive is a sound way to mitigate the potential for disputes and thereby avoid the management time and expense involved in dealing with disputes.”

Mr Whyte commented: “The formation of our energy team is testament to the firm’s long-term commitment to this sector and our desire to support our energy clients across the full ambit of legal services. Rod’s experience in this sector and connections with industry bodies mean he is well placed to spearhead the team and our ambitious growth plans.”