Two top TLT lawyers recognised as ‘Green Ambassadors’

Maria Connolly, Head of Future Energy and Real Estate and Alexandra Holsgrove Jones, Knowledge Partner and ESG lead, have been named as Green Ambassadors by The Legal 500.

Maria and Alexandra have been identified as Green Ambassadors as part of research conducted by The Legal 500. Published in legal trade publication Legal Business, this research highlights individuals who have shown exceptionally strong engagement with sustainability matters. Maria and Alexandra are a part of a cohort of just 40 individuals in the UK legal market singled out as playing a key role in supporting sustainability-related initiatives.

Maria is the Head of TLT’s cross practice Future Energy sector and Real Estate teams and also serves as the executive board sponsor for the firm’s sustainability strategy and as a member of its impact committee. She has been singled out as a Green Ambassador for the second time, for her longstanding experience at the forefront of the UK’s clean energy sector.

Alexandra is a Knowledge Partner in TLT’s Real Estate Group and leads on integrating ESG principles into legal services for TLT, working to ensure the firm’s clients anticipate and navigate emerging sustainability developments. Her first-time recognition as a Green Ambassador acknowledges her work on realising net-zero emissions in the built environment. 

Commenting on the achievements, Maria said: “It is a pleasure to receive Green Ambassador status for a second year – something which I feel reflects the strength of the overall team, and recognises our position as a leading global adviser to the future energy sector and our enduring commitment to sustainability. 

"The past year has been a highly successful one for the Future Energy team, as we have continued to deliver innovative advice to our clients, while growing our headcount with a number of key strategic hires, and the arrival of 32 new lawyers to form one of the largest Future Energy, Infrastructure, Public Law and Planning teams in the UK."

Alexandra Holsgrove Jones added: “TLT is well known for its commitment to ESG, both internally and in our dealings with clients. We are a firm that is valued for our values, and it is gratifying to see this reputation cemented with recognition in such a prestigious publication.

“From a personal perspective, I am pleased to have been recognised as a Green Ambassador, and believe that it is a ringing endorsement of the firm’s approach to embedding ESG into its legal operations and everyday practices.”

Green bios:

Maria Connolly: Maria joined TLT in 1997, and since then, she has been instrumental in building and developing its nationally recognised future energy practice. She has worked on several hundred wind, solar, biomass and hydro projects and pathfinder multi-technology, electric vehicle charging and energy storage projects and, under her leadership, the firm was recently ranked in the top ten most influential law firms in clean energy M&A worldwide in Clean Energy Pipeline’s 2025 Clean Energy Legal League Table.

At boardroom level, she has also spearheaded TLT's "first-of-a-kind" strategy, which aims to drive transition to an improved energy system by broadening the availability and accessibility of contributing technologies. Her leadership extends beyond TLT, as she is also founding member of the Regen Entrepreneurial Women in Renewable Energy programme.

Alexandra Holsgrove Jones: Alexandra joined TLT in 2010 and is now one of the firm’s foremost leaders on ESG, providing legal support to fee earners across all sectors of the Real Estate Group in all TLT's offices. She has led training for major domestic clients on integrating ESG clauses within their leases and is a driver of the firm’s work with The Chancery Lane Project, with whom she created the Built Environment Climate Contracts Tool – a freely available tool which guides users through the sustainable drafting available at each stage of the lifecycle of the built environment.

Alexandra has also been responsible for formalising TLT’s ESG credentials, establishing an internal programme, operational structure, and information-sharing hub to best integrate and communicate ESG internally.