Caitlin Preston, a solicitor in Burges Salmon’s Edinburgh office, talks real estate, renewables and what it’s like advising on the projects shaping Scotland’s green future
Caitlin Preston is a real estate solicitor at Burges Salmon’s Edinburgh office. Having qualified into the firm’s real estate practice, she now works at the cutting edge of energy and real estate, helping to drive Scotland’s green transition.
Ahead of this afternoon’s virtual student event, ‘Meet the lawyers shaping tomorrow’s energy — with Burges Salmon,’ Preston spoke with Legal Cheek Careers about the vital role real estate lawyers play in advancing greener energy solutions, the challenges the sector faces, and her advice for the next generation of lawyers.
Could you walk us through your route into law and how that journey led to a real estate practice with a focus on Scottish energy?
I studied law at the University of Aberdeen and completed my Diploma at the University of Edinburgh, developing a strong interest in property and commercial law early on. I steered towards choosing property electives and studied commercial real estate and contract law at honours level — I’ve always enjoyed the problem-solving nature of the area.
During my traineeship, I spent three out of four seats in real estate, two of those with the real estate energy team. I always felt supported and challenged during my seats in real estate, I was given quality work and responsibility whilst having sufficient supervision and encouragement to take charge and be at the forefront of the transactions I was assisting on. One of the first projects I assisted with involved advising on the property aspects of the ScotWind offshore wind leasing rounds which was a pivotal experience that sparked my passion for the renewables sector.
I found the intersection of real estate and energy law both interesting but also rewarding. It’s a space where legal work directly supports the energy transition, which is something I’m passionate about. From my first seat in real estate, I had decided that this was the area I wanted to specialise in.
I qualified in 2024 as a solicitor with a focus on real estate and energy work where I’ve progressively taken on greater responsibility for complex transactions and client relationships. Now, I work closely with developers, landowners, and investors on a range of energy projects across Scotland.
What made you choose Burges Salmon, and what keeps you here in the context of real estate and energy work?
I was drawn to Burges Salmon for its strong reputation in both real estate and energy, and the opportunity to work on high-profile, cross-sector projects with a national and international reach. Our team has experts to work with and learn from across all the legal specialisms needed throughout a renewable energy project’s lifecycle, from financing and regulatory compliance, power sales and offtakes and price support mechanisms to development, operation and decommissioning.
Burges also has extensive experience in every key technology, including wind, solar, wave and tidal energy, geothermal, biomass, anaerobic digestion biofuels, hydro and hydrogen.
What’s kept me here is the genuinely collaborative culture and the chance to work alongside my colleagues who are passionate about what they do. Everyone is supportive and always willing to give up their time to support your development, give guidance or help on a transaction you are dealing with. They take a genuine interest in what you are interested in and make sure that you are involved in those projects.
Since joining, I have had the chance to work on some really exciting projects, including in the nuclear sector or emerging markets like hydrogen. As well as onshore wind, solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS).
What does a typical day of work look like for you and how do you collaborate across offices?
A typical day is a real mix, which is one of the things I enjoy most about the role. It may involve reviewing or drafting documents — this could be anything from option agreements and leases for onshore wind or solar projects, title reports or servitude agreements for grid connections to providing title certification to lenders for project finance transactions. Alternatively, it could also start with all parties calls to agree documents or internal meetings/seminars to discuss movements in the market or reforms in the law.
Cross-office and department collaboration is a big part of how we work. I’m based in Edinburgh, but I work closely with colleagues in Bristol and London on multi-jurisdictional projects. This cross-border collaboration is essential for projects with assets in multiple jurisdictions.
Can you share a project that stretched you the most and what you learned?
Recently, one of the most stretching projects I’ve worked on was supporting clients through the NESO Gate 2 submissions. Gate 2 is part of the UK’s Connections Reform led by the National Energy System Operator (NESO). It’s designed to overhaul how energy projects, like wind, solar and BESS, connect to the electricity grid. The reform aims to clear the backlog of queued projects by moving away from the “first come, first served” system to a “first ready and needed” approach which is strategically aligned with the UK’s clean energy goal. The submission window closed on Tuesday 26 August 2025 and we had to ensure that we had land rights secured for our client’s projects prior to the gate closing.
This involved multiple in-person all parties meetings prior to the window closing and proactive client communication to break down complex requirements, managing expectations, and guiding them through the process. I had to work closely with colleagues across our departments and offices (particularly in planning, projects, regulatory, and construction) to give clients a joined-up view that was commercially strategic. The pivotal challenge was balancing speed with precision — securing robust land rights under time pressure whilst managing multiple stakeholders with competing priorities and ensuring clients understood the trade-offs involved.
It was a whole team effort to ensure that we got all our client’s land rights secured before the window closed. For example, our team successfully secured land rights for multiple projects ahead of the Gate 2 deadline, with our final transaction completing just two hours before the submission window closed and took an all-hands-on-deck approach to ensure that it was agreed in time. This experience reinforced the importance of cross-departmental collaboration and maintaining composure under pressure.
How do you help clients make decisions where the legal or policy framework is still evolving?
Client communication is key — we ensure that we are aligned and understand our client’s intentions from the outset, explaining the legal context in plain terms and flagging where decisions may need to evolve. We focus on providing clear and practical advice which identifies what’s known, what’s likely to change and where the key risks lie. We will often build flexibility into our land agreements such as staged rights, milestones or conditionality to give clients room to adapt as the policy picture develops. For instance, when advising on hydrogen projects, where the regulatory framework is still developing, we structure land agreements with technology-neutral rights. This allows clients to retain flexibility to adapt as the policies surrounding hydrogen develops.
What developments do you expect to shape Scottish energy over the next two to three years and why?
In my opinion, grid constraints and reform will be front and centre. With more projects entering the pipeline than the grid can currently accommodate, developers are facing long connection timelines and uncertainty. It is common for developers to be offered grid connection dates extending to 2035 and beyond. Additionally, assets that do secure grid connections often come with active network management or curtailment conditions, meaning they can be switched off if there is excess generation in the network. The NESO reforms and queue management processes are already influencing how and when land rights are secured, and we expect this to continue driving early-stage legal engagement.
Repowering of existing onshore wind sites will likely also accelerate. Many early projects are reaching the end of their operational life, and repowering offers a faster route to capacity than new development. This raises complex land and title issues — especially where original leases or consents were not designed with repowering in mind.
Energy storage is becoming essential to grid stability and project viability. We’re seeing more clients looking to co-locate battery storage with solar or wind, which adds a new layer of complexity to land agreements and planning strategy.
From your vantage point, what is the single biggest barrier to an effective energy transition in Scotland?
From my perspective, the single biggest barrier is grid capacity and connection delays. Scotland has excellent renewable resources and a strong pipeline of projects, but many are stalled by long lead times for grid connections and uncertainty around when and how capacity will be delivered. This bottleneck affects everything from land strategy and investment decisions to community engagement and it’s particularly challenging in rural and island areas of Scotland where infrastructure is already limited.
What risks or uncertainties most concern your developer, investor, and landowner clients and how do you work with them to de-risk timelines and costs?
The biggest concerns are around grid connection uncertainty which can significantly affect project timelines, viability, and cost certainty.
To help de-risk these issues, we focus on early and strategic legal input. For developers, that means structuring land agreements with built-in flexibility such as conditionality around grid milestones or phased land acquisition rights take to accommodate shifting timelines. For investors, it’s about clear due diligence and risk allocation in transaction documents, ensuring they understand both the opportunities and constraints from the outset.
How can aspiring solicitors demonstrate genuine commercial awareness beyond just reading the news — what concrete steps build it, and how should they demonstrate it in applications and interviews?
Reading the news is a good starting point, but genuine commercial awareness comes from understanding how legal, business, and political developments affect clients in real terms. Burges Salmon post regular insights on our website discussing the energy transactions we have completed or are assisting with alongside trends in the energy sector and emerging technologies. I would recommend keeping up to date with the work law firms are doing in the energy sector. Candidates who demonstrate understanding of emerging technologies and client challenges through targeted research will stand out.
LinkedIn is also a great place for keeping up to date with movements in the market — interact with posts and take a genuine interest in the discussions that are going on.
In terms of practical habits, I recommend following key industry bodies such as Scottish Renewables, attending webinars and conferences where possible and building a network through university energy societies.
For students and junior lawyers eyeing real estate/energy, what skills, experiences, or seat choices matter most — and any reading, networks, or habits you recommend?
While seats in real estate, planning, projects, or construction are helpful, what matters most is a genuine interest in how law supports the delivery of infrastructure and energy transition. For anyone interested in real estate and energy law, building a strong foundation in property law, commercial awareness, and project thinking are key as you develop in your career. The energy sector is rapidly evolving and spans multiple disciplines, so it’s important to understand how legal advice fits into broader commercial and policy contexts.
Key skills of a property lawyer include attention to detail especially when reviewing titles and negotiating option or lease agreements. Strong communication and teamwork skills are also crucial, as projects are often long-term and highly collaborative.
It’s a dynamic and rewarding area of law. No two days are the same. If you’re curious about a career in the energy sector, we’re always happy to hear from those looking to get involved.
Caitlin Preston will be speaking at ‘Meet the lawyers shaping tomorrow’s energy — with Burges Salmon’, a virtual student event taking place THIS AFTERNOON (Wednesday 8 October). Secure one of the final few spots.
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