JUVE Awards 2023: Osborne Clarke is “Law Firm of the Year Energy Law”

At this year's JUVE Awards ceremony, which was once again held at the Alte Oper Frankfurt on 26 October 2023, Osborne Clarke was awarded the title of “Law Firm of the Year Energy Law”.

As every year, the JUVE publishing house in Frankfurt am Main awarded the most dynamic law firms and legal departments. This year's “Law Firm of the Year Energy Law” award went to the Osborne Clarke Energy team led by practice group head Dr Daniel Breuer and Anna von Bremen, Dr Alexander Dlouhy and Dr Christoph Torwegge.

The jury's statement focused primarily on the legal practice’s expertise in the field of renewable energies, where Osborne Clarke is said to be excellently positioned: “Its diverse client base includes project developers such as Abo Wind or financiers such as Deutsche Anlagen-Leasing, as well as industrial groups such as BASF. They are increasingly asking for experience in drafting contracts and are therefore at exactly the right address with Dr Daniel Breuer. His team is particularly proficient in drafting and negotiating so-called Power Purchase Agreements, with which companies secure the supply of renewable energies. In addition, the transactions and project financings in which the lawyers are involved are becoming increasingly larger and more international.”

In addition, the efforts towards more diversity and the resulting positive effects on client work were appreciated: “Clients highlight that young lawyers take on responsibility at an early stage and that this creates a 'diverse team structure that can only be seen at a few commercial law firms'.”

“We see the strategic fine-tuning that we undertook at the beginning of the year in the area of energy and the advice we provide to companies, investors and financiers active in the energy sector as positively confirmed. We are therefore particularly pleased to receive this award in recognition of our industry expertise and the high-quality service we provide to our clients,” said Carsten Schneider, Managing Partner of Osborne Clarke in Germany.

The basis for the evening's awards is the editorial research for the 928-page JUVE Handbook of Commercial Law Firms, the new edition of which was published on 27 October. The assessment: “In the energy sector, OC is becoming an increasingly important address, especially in the construction and financing of renewable energy plants”. Breuer's team is said to be perceived by clients in particular as PPA pioneers; clients value them as “always efficient, solution-oriented and very close to the market”. Competitors attest to the practice group head's “very in-depth knowledge of all issues relating to the development of renewable energy plants” and a “very pleasant working relationship”. The trade publisher also highlights the move of proven energy law expert Anna von Bremen to Osborne Clarke, who is praised by clients for “outstanding expertise, great commercial understanding, excellent service; our go-to lawyer in energy law”.