Maria Connolly

Maria is head of Real estate at TLT and leads TLT's cross-discipline Clean energy team.

Maria has significant expertise in renewable energy, having acted on several hundred winds, solar, biomass, hydro, and energy storage projects.

She is executive board sponsor for TLT’s sustainability strategy; under her sponsorship, the firm has set an ambitious target to be a net-zero emissions organization by 2025, engaged Carbon Intelligence to help develop an ambitious sustainability program, and entered several sustainability-focused partnerships including with Forest Green Rovers, The Chancery Lane Project, and Action Net-Zero.

Notably, she has spearheaded TLT's "first-of-a-kind" strategy, which aims to drive the transition to an improved energy system by broadening the availability and accessibility of contributing technologies. Maria and her team provide innovative legal solutions on landmark projects, developing the legal precedents and industry confidence required to help establish the technologies concerned.

Maria advises on a wide spectrum of property matters including acquisitions of existing renewable energy projects, drafting bespoke documentation, negotiation of exclusivity agreements, option agreements, and leases, and undertaking full due diligence.

Maria also has significant experience in dealing with the property aspects of corporate insolvencies, including fixed charge receivers, administrations, and acting for lenders in connection with both property finance, mortgage book transfers, and recoveries.

She has expertise in portfolio management for corporate clients in various sectors, including retail, industrial, and minerals, and aggregates.

Maria is independently recognized as an expert in the field of Energy & Natural Resources: Renewables & Alternative Energy (UK-wide) and Real Estate (Bristol & Surrounds) by Chambers UK, and a leading individual in the field of Energy by Legal 500.

Maria is a mentor for the RegenSW Entrepreneurial Women in Renewable Energy program and has been appointed to the City of London Law Society Energy Committee. She is also a regular speaker at industry events on topics such as subsidy-free project modeling, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and multi-technology projects.

Maria qualified as a solicitor in 1999 and became a partner in 2007.