International law firm CMS is bolstering its planning practice with the appointment of David Hardy as a partner in its Sheffield office.
Dually qualified as a barrister and solicitor, David joins CMS from Squire Patton Boggs where he was a barrister and partner in the planning group. Nationally recognised for his work in the energy sector, David brings extensive experience advising on high-profile projects throughout England, Wales and Scotland from inception through to final determination and appeal.
For many years, David has been ranked in the top tier by both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 for planning in Yorkshire, with clients commending his ability to “get to the critical issues very quickly.”
This is the second senior addition to the firm’s planning practice in the North, following the appointment of Chrisa Tsompani who joined CMS’ Manchester office two weeks ago. Chrisa is a very experienced planning and environment lawyer and joined the firm from Chester City Council.
Chris Bowes, CMS planning partner, said: “We are delighted to welcome David to the team. The CMS planning team has seen significant growth, particularly in the energy sector, and David’s expertise and established market standing will add significant strength to our existing practice. His joining sends a clear message of our ambition to build a market leading planning team in the North of England and will further support the broader real estate team in growing development and infrastructure work.”
David Hardy said: “I’m delighted to be joining the highly regarded planning team at CMS. With the market for property-related planning work and energy sector activity as strong as ever, it’s an ideal time to be joining a firm with an established reputation for planning, energy, infrastructure and real estate work. I look forward to working with specialists across the firm to build on the success of the practice and support my clients as they expand their investments within the region and further afield.”
The CMS planning team has successfully advised on major projects across urban regeneration, retail, data centres, industrial, logistics, leisure, surplus land, infrastructure and energy, including providing consenting advice on the world’s future largest offshore wind farm Dogger Bank C, which is due to complete is 2026.
