Karen Clarke

Karen is advising HM Government regarding major infrastructure projects, including advising the Department for Transport on Crossrail and the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements (which marked the end of the rail franchising system and have been billed as a stepping stone towards a new model for operating train services in the future), the Ministry of Defence on its Naval Shipbuilding Programme and BEIS on its new nuclear programme. She has a particular interest in regulated utilities and have advised on the regulatory aspects of bringing an energy supply company out of energy company administration, as well as advising on the regulatory aspects of the sale/purchase of regulated entities and commodities trading, including nuclear, electricity, gas and water regulation. She also has experience advising on all phases of nuclear projects and on various PPP/PFI projects.

Work highlights

• Rail Franchising and Emergency Recovery Measures: advising the Department for Transport (DfT) on the cessation of national franchising arrangements and the implementation of the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements that were been entered into with English train operating companies in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Crossrail: advising the Department for Transport on the financing of and governance matters in relation to the Crossrail project.
• Defence: advising the Ministry of Defence on the procurement and construction of the UK’s new T26 Global Combat Ships and Offshore Patrol Vessels.
• RAB models: advising on significant RAB-based infrastructure projects, including advising BEIS on the Sizewell C nuclear project and Thames Water Utilities Limited on the Thames Tideway Tunnel project.
• Energy administration: advising the energy administrators of Bulb Energy Limited in relation to energy regulatory aspects of the administration and potential exit from administration. 
• Sale of regulated entities: advising the seller in relation to regulatory aspects of the sale of an electricity distribution business and a water and sewerage undertaker.

• Penal Reform International: contributing to a multi-jurisdictional report into how women who have killed their abusers following prolonged domestic abuse are treated in law and before the courts in Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Spain and the USA called “Women who kill their abusers: How do criminal justice systems respond?”, including writing the chapter on Brazil and editing the full report.
• International Bar Association: advising on its innovative eyeWitness to Atrocities project, which uses technology to facilitate justice for war crimes.
• Mary Ward Legal Centre: advising clients at a regular housing advice clinic at the Mary Ward Legal Centre, including advice with respect to disrepair, infestations and complaints against local authorities and housing associations.