Strengthening our Infrastructure & Energy team with Director appointment
8th August 2025
We’re delighted to announced the appointment of Sophie Linnell as a Director in our Infrastructure & Energy (I&E) team. Sophie’s appointment follows continued growth for the firm and underscores our commitment to investing in expertise across our teams.
Sophie brings a wealth of experience in grid connections, private networks and large-scale energy projects, further strengthening the firm’s capability to advise clients on critical energy transition initiatives and reinforcing its reputation as one of the UK’s leading firms in the I&E sector.
Sophie trained at DLA Piper, qualifying into the Projects team in 2017, and has since built a broad energy and infrastructure practice. Advising on a wide range of renewable energy schemes, negotiating construction and operation agreements, and developing a specialism in grid connections across private networks, transport, infrastructure and energy projects.
Having worked extensively on GridCo structures, grid sharing models and grid reform consultations, Sophie has developed a reputation as one of the UK’s leading experts in grid connections.
Most recently, Sophie led a landmark financing for an early-stage battery storage portfolio on behalf of a lender. Confronted with grid reform uncertainties and pending Ofgem approval, she structured the facility agreement around the latest NESO Gate 2 methodologies, embedding payment milestone triggers and fallback provisions to protect the lender if anticipated Gate 2 offers were not obtained.
Discussing her appointment, Sophie said, “It’s an exciting time to work in the infrastructure and energy sector, as we tackle grid constraints, regulatory hurdles, and the overarching challenge of achieving Net Zero.
Walker Morris is a leading adviser in this space and offers true autonomy for fee earners. I look forward to deepening my grid connection expertise and helping the firm support clients through the next phase of the UK’s energy transformation.”
Ben Sheppard, Partner in our Infrastructure & Energy team, added, “We’re delighted to welcome Sophie to our growing team. Her market-leading expertise in grid connections and depth of experience in complex energy projects make her an outstanding addition.
“Sophie’s innovative approach to complex financings and her commitment to leadership will be instrumental in helping our clients navigate the evolving energy landscape.
For more information on our Infrastructure & Energy team, please visit here.
