Thirteen is a lucky number for Southampton's largest commercial law firm, Bond Pearce. For the firm has just secured a contract to handle the environmental and planning work for its 13th offshore wind farm.

There are only 18 offshore wind farms with licences from The Crown Estate. The planning and environmental team at Bond Pearce was handling 12 of these until this most recent appointment to United Utilities in Cardiff for a farm off South Wales.

The firm will advise on the planning issues and consents needed for development offshore and will then help make the applications for these. It will also advise on the environmental impact assessment procedures.

Offshore wind farms are set to become a major energy provider in the UK over the next decade. The government has a target to provide 10 per cent of all our energy from renewable resources by 2010. A recent government report says that offshore farms will generate nearly 20 per cent of this.

In addition to the offshore market Bond Pearce also acts for most of the UK's onshore wind energy developers. The firm was involved in all aspects of the development of the first onshore wind farm in the UK more than a decade ago and since then has been involved in more than 90 projects and developed a national reputation in this field.

Marcus Trinick heads the wind energy team and the planning and environmental law unit at Bond Pearce. He is also a director of the British Wind Energy Association and a member of the DTI's Renewable Energy Advisory Committee.

"We have been in renewables from the first, before there was even a legal market and we are proud of that" says Marcus Trinick. "This always was a long haul business where acquired knowledge has a premium value. We now have that knowledge and plan to still be a major player in another 20 years."