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Portrait ofPenelope Warne

Penelope Warne

The Senior Partner
Chairman of the UK LLP Board and Head of Energy

CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
Cannon Place
78 Cannon Street
London
EC4N 6AF
United Kingdom
Languages English, French

Penelope Warne is The Senior Partner and Chairman of the UK Board. She is also Head of Energy.

Penelope, an energy law specialist, joined the firm in 1993 to set up the Aberdeen office and has a strong growth track record of leading mergers and opening new offices. In 30 years, she has transformed CMS’ practice in Scotland from one person in Aberdeen to the market leading practice in Scotland following the combination with Dundas & Wilson in 2014. As the Energy practice group leader, she opened offices in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Brazil, Mexico and Dubai. Her practice has spanned the globe advising clients in the energy industry in the North Sea, the US, Norway, Brazil and EMEA.

Penelope is at the cutting edge of energy issues, she is active in thought leadership and teaches energy lawyers in her role as Professor of Energy Law at Dundee University. She is also a member of the Foundation Board at IMD, the highly acclaimed international business school based in Lausanne, Switzerland.  She has also served as a member of the Board of the Law Society for the last 6 years.

Penelope is ranked as a Leading Energy Expert in both Chambers and Legal 500. She has received many awards for her energy work and has been recognised in The Lawyer's Hot 100 twice. She was also awarded “The Senior Management Partner of the Year” at the British Legal Awards 2017. Penelope was one of only 20 ranked in the law category of The Sunday Times/Debretts “Britain’s 500 Most Influential”. The UK Legal 500 Awards have awarded her for Outstanding Achievement where her role was recognised for leading the firm and her commitment to diversity in the City. She has also featured in the First 100 Years project, a ground-breaking history project charting the journey of women in law. Most recently she has been recognised in the 2021 Women Who Will Report as a Change Maker for her strong leadership during the challenges faced through the pandemic, and in Financial News’ Fifty Most Influential Lawyers for 2022 and 2023.

Penelope works globally with governments, energy industry specialists , environmentalists and academics and is a member of the Oxford University Vice Chancellor's Circle.

Penelope is a great supporter of Diversity & Inclusion and is proud to lead fundraising and social impact in the firm.

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"She is a clear sector specialist."

Chambers, 2023

Education

  • Bristol University.
  • Dually qualified in English and Scots law.
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16/11/2023
CMS ranked a top UK employer for social mobility
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