Stephenson Harwood has strengthened its London team by hiring a senior energy specialist, furthering its commitment to corporate work linked to the UK’s renewable energy growth. The firm welcomed Matthew Bodfield, previously a partner at Osborne Clarke, where he brought 20 years’ experience advising clients in the energy transition and infrastructure sectors. Bodfield’s expertise now focuses on early-stage asset transactions and developer platforms.
This appointment follows a pattern of strategic hiring aimed at bolstering capabilities in fast-growing industries. Bodfield’s practice supports Stephenson Harwood’s existing priorities, particularly its emphasis on energy transition—a cornerstone area identified by outgoing CEO Eifion Morris before his January departure. The firm has since named James Linforth, its banking leader, as Morris’s successor. Speculation persists about a potential merger with European competitor Taylor Wessing.
The UK’s renewable sector is evolving quickly. Jonathan Cripps, the firm’s infrastructure head, predicts that generation capacity will triple within the next decade. Bodfield’s background in structuring complex investments aligns with this transformation, Cripps said, as clients increasingly pursue early-stage opportunities instead of established assets. His deep expertise in complex, blended investment strategies will strengthen the platform, enabling the firm to help clients handle this dynamic and rapidly evolving market.
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The addition of Bodfield also marks another phase in Stephenson Harwood’s London expansion. Recently, the firm recruited specialists in private wealth management and maritime law, while its presence in Asia-Pacific grew last year through the acquisition of a four-partner team from DLA Piper in Bangkok. These developments follow earlier setbacks, including the departure of a five-lawyer private client group to Charles Russell Speechlys.
Bodfield expressed enthusiasm for joining Stephenson Harwood in a LinkedIn post, following a short break from practice. His corporate M&A experience, particularly in energy transactions, aligns with the firm’s goals, according to Tom Nicholls, the corporate head. Nicholls said Bodfield brings an established practice and deep energy sector expertise that will strengthen the corporate team and broaden its sector reach. His specialist energy M&A capability is a clear differentiator, which, when combined with the firm’s wider sector relationships, will create significant opportunities for growth and support the development of long-term M&A relationships with institutional clients.
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