The Legal 500

Dickson Minto WS’ prowess is such that it prompts one client to declare it ‘by far and away the best corporate firm in Scotland‘. Led by experienced and highly regarded managing partner Bruce Minto, the team advised Tullow Oil on its cash box placing; HBOS on the Scottish aspects of its merger with Lloyds TSB; and the shareholders of Artemis on its sale to Fortis. Colin MacNeill, Andrew Todd and Ewan Gilchrist are all recommended.

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s corporate practice, which many consider to be ‘the standout best in Scotland‘, is led by Michael Polson. The ‘commercial and practical‘ team advised Clyde Blowers on its US$1bn acquisition of the pumps, gears and hydraulics business from Textron; RBS on the £950m disposal of its interest in Tesco Personal Finance to Tesco; and Resolution on the Scottish aspects of its £5bn takeover by Pearl, working alongside Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP. Clients find the ‘tremendously dedicated and professional‘ Graeme Bruce to be ‘a most capable lawyer‘, while Graham Sibbald also receives glowing feedback. Stuart MacLean and Greig Williamson have been promoted to the partnership.

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s ‘sharp and focused‘ corporate practice is led by Aberdeen-based Alastair Wyper. The central belt team advised Leisurecorp on its £55m acquisition of the Turnberry Hotel and Golf Resort in Ayrshire; The Erdington Group on its acquisition of Brugal & Co; and Weir Group on the £65m sale of its Weir Strachan & Henshaw division to Babcock International Group. Ian Lumsden and the ‘sound, commercial and value-adding‘ Kenneth Shand are recommended.

Led by Barry McCaig, McGrigors LLP advised longstanding client iomart on its £20m sale of Ufindus to BT; Leopard No.2 Investments on its £52m acquisition of Petrol Express; and BDL Select Hotels on its £45m acquisition of the Paten & Co. hotel chain. The firm is also well regarded in the oil and gas sector, and ‘ever-reliable‘ capital markets head Alan Diamond and private equity specialist Gary Anderson are also recommended.

Shepherd And Wedderburn’s ‘high-quality‘ practice is led by James Will, who is ‘hugely experienced and appropriately cautious‘. The team advised new client the Nuclear Liabilities Fund on EDF’s £12.5bn acquisition of British Energy, in which NLF held a 35.6% stake; and was appointed court reporter by the Court of Session on the £12.2bn takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB. The firm also operates one of the leading Scottish capital markets practices, acting for clients such as Bank of Scotland, Numis Securities and Merrill Lynch. ‘It’s one of the few Scottish practices capable of taking on an equivalent City firm‘, say clients, who also single out Paul Hally and Glasgow corporate finance head George Boyle for praise.

Headed by the highly regarded Simon Rae, DLA Piper Scotland LLP’s ‘small yet formidable‘ corporate team was boosted by the arrival of Dickson Minto WS senior associate Keith Dinsmore, who joined the firm as partner. The firm recently advised the shareholders of MTEM on its £275m sale to Petroleum Geo-Services, and Vespa Capital on the £30m buyout of James Villas. Paul Pignatelli shows ‘attention to detail, tenacity, a proactive approach and limitless energy‘, and Neil Burgess ‘gets the job done and doesn’t let ego get in the way of a deal‘.

Brodies LLP’s corporate team is now led by Julian Voge. Highlights for 2008 included advice to the shareholders of Loch Duart in relation to an investment by private equity firm Capricorn Investment Group, while the firm worked alongside King & Spalding on the Scottish aspects of Arcapita’s shari’ah-compliant acquisition of Downhole Products. Iain Young, Alistair Campbell and Shuna Stirling are all recommended.

Burness LLP is noted for its abilities on complex transactions. Led by Peter Lawson, the ‘personable, experienced and commercial‘ team advised key client Standard Life on its £24.2m takeover of Vebnet and subsequent acquisition of a 20% stake in BJFM, and Uberior Ventures on its £27.5m acquisition of a 40% stake in Tulloch Homes Group. Mark Ellis and the ‘technically excellent yet commercially minded‘ Grant Stevenson are also recommended.

MacRoberts LLP’s ‘diligent, competent and flexible‘ corporate team is led by ‘shrewd and calm‘ chairman Ian Dickson. Recent highlights include advice to the vendor shareholders on the sale of The Essentia Group, and Tennant on its US$68m acquisition of Applied Sweepers. Clients find the ‘smart, knowledgeable, hard working‘ Neil Kennedy able to ‘offer practical solutions to complex problems while staying cool under pressure‘, and are also quick to praise Alan Kelly and Robert Burns.

2008 saw Tods Murray LLP act on corporate deals with an aggregate value exceeding £4.75bn, receiving first-time instructions from Applecross Properties, Mansford Holdings and Mountgrange Capital. Led by Malcolm Holmes, Granger Brash and Alistair Burrow, the team advised HBOS on the Scottish aspects of both its £4bn rights offering and a £750m offering of securities by HBOS Capital Funding. The plaudits rain in thick and fast for the ‘succinct and intelligible‘ Jack Gardiner, whose ‘top-notch‘ advice is ‘always bang on the button‘.

Anderson Strathern LLP’s Simon Brown is ‘excellent‘.

Biggart Baillie LLP has the ‘experienced, knowledgeable, hardworking, conscientious and friendly‘ David Allan.

Fraser Jackson at HBJ Gateley Wareing LLP is recommended.

Harper Macleod LLP’s senior partner Donald Munro is ‘experienced and highly commercial‘.

George Frier is recommended at McClure Naismith LLP.

Christian Hook and Austin Flynn at Morton Fraser are recommended.

Semple Fraser LLP’s new team head Bill Fowler is ‘approachable, balanced and plain-speaking‘.

Led by Alan McNiven - ‘a stickler for detail and a good negotiator‘ - Paull & Williamsons’ corporate practice remains the one to beat in Aberdeen. The ‘simply outstanding‘ team advised the shareholders of Integrated Sub-Sea Services on its £143m sale and subsequent rollover investment in ISS Holdings; LMS Capital as majority shareholder on the sale of Energy Cranes International to a Close Brothers Private Equity vehicle; and Vroon on its acquisition of Nomis Shipping. Gordon Buchan and David Freeman are both singled out by clients, one of whom finds the team ‘without doubt the most knowledgeable and responsive I’ve ever used‘.

Ledingham Chalmers LLP’s corporate practice, which is led by ‘fine lawyer and true gent‘ Malcolm Laing, was boosted by the arrival of Neil Anderson from Biggart Baillie LLP. Focusing on clients in the SME sector, the team advised TWMA Group on its acquisition of Engineering Environmental Services, and Neptune Marine Services on its £11m acquisition of Ross Deeptech Initiatives. The firm also has a leading corporate practice in Inverness, under Fiona Neilson.

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s ‘ascendant‘ Aberdeen practice is led by firmwide corporate head Alastair Wyper. 2008 saw the team advise Grampian Country Foods on the disposal, via auction, of its 46 operating subsidiaries in England, Scotland and Thailand, to Vion. Roy Roxburgh is also recommended.

McGrigors LLP operates a three-partner corporate team in Aberdeen, comprising John Rutherford, Roger Connon and Martin Ewan. The firm recently advised Seawell on its US$35m acquisition of the UK North Sea platform drilling business of Noble Drilling, and Baker Hughes on its acquisition of Gaffney Cline & Associates.

Led by Ewan Neilson, Stronachs LLP advised the Deans family on the sale of Nomis Shipping to Vroon, and the shareholders of Optima Solutions on its disposal to Northern Industries. Neil Forbes, David Rennie and John MacRae are all recommended.

A new entrant to the rankings, Blackadders LLP’s 'responsive and knowledgeable' team advised Pitkerro on its £3m sale to Rok, and West Residential on its MBO. Team head Campbell Clark is recommended.

CMS Cameron McKenna LLP’s corporate practice trades off its ‘unsurpassed knowledge of the oil and gas industry‘. Led by the ‘excellent‘ Frank Fowlie, the team advised Aker Solutions on its acquisition of PSV Solutions.

Another new entrant, Harper Macleod LLP’s Inverness office is led by partner Christopher Kerr. Clients include Ross-shire Engineering.

Shepherd and Wedderburn, which also enters the rankings for the first time this year, is led by oil and gas specialist Helen Dickson. The team advised new client Vector Aerospace on its acquisition from the MoD of the rotary wing and components business of the Defence Aviation Repair Agency.

Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace’s joint practice heads Keith Napier and David McEwing are recommended.

Keir Willox is the name to note at oil services boutique The Commercial Law Practice.

At Thorntons Law LLP, corporate practice head Michael Royden is recommended.

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s ‘dominant‘ team is led by Gwen Souter, who ‘excels in bringing her technical understanding into a wider commercial context‘. The firm recently advised Noble Group Holdings on the introduction of new employee share plan arrangements following its MBO; Leisurecorp on its £55m acquisition of the Turnberry Hotel and Golf Resort in Ayrshire; and Grampian Country Foods on the tax issues relating to the disposal 46 operating subsidiaries to Vion. Other clients include 3i, Bank of Scotland and Quayle Munro. Caroline Colliston and Lorna Tutty are also recommended.

MacRoberts LLP’s team is now led by the ‘client focused‘ Ainsley MacLaren, who returned to the firm from McGrigors LLP following the departure of former practice head Isobel d’Inverno to Brodies LLP. The tax group supports the firm’s leading commercial property team on issues relating to SDLT, VAT and capital allowances, and also provides transactional support to the corporate practice. The firm provides ‘practical, partner-driven advice‘.

Led by director Karen Davidson, McGrigors LLP advised Leopard No.2 Investments on the tax aspects of its £57.1m acquisition of Petrol Express from GNE Group, and Baker Hughes on the tax issues relating to its acquisition of GCA International. Clients find the team to be ‘innovative thinkers who produce practical solutions‘.

Led by Ronnie Brown, Biggart Baillie LLP advised Samsung on the UK VAT customs and import duties relating to a semiconductor re-engineering contract with a UK provider.

Brodies LLP’s practice is jointly led Alan Barr and Isobel d’Inverno following the latter’s arrival from MacRoberts LLP, and now has ten dedicated tax specialists. The firm is particularly strong in property tax, recently advising Resolution Property on the tax aspects of its £58.5m acquisition of the Jersey Unit Trust. Stephen Miller left the firm to join Shepherd and Wedderburn.

Headed by John Rafferty, Burness LLP advised Stena Line on the pre-transaction issues relating to its land and land-wrapper company acquisitions as part of a £70m port development. Tax manager John Finnick is also recommended.

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s growing team, which is led by the ‘personable‘ Jim Hillan, recently advised Scottish and Southern Energy on the structuring of its 20% interest in Geothermal International.

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s team is now led by the ‘responsive and concise‘ Stephen Miller following his arrival from Brodies LLP. It advised Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide on tax issues relating to its sale of SLC Turnberry.

Dickson Minto WS’ Nial Tosh is also recommended.

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s market-leading cartels practice, which is led by regulatory specialist Michael Dean, continues to broaden into areas such as trade law, export control and product liability. The firm is currently acting on four appeals before the European Court of First Instance in relation to cartel decisions by the European Commission, and it also advised HBOS and Lloyds TSB in relation to the challenge brought by the Merger Action Group against BERR’s clearance of their merger. One impressed client hails Catriona Munro as ‘the most expert EU lawyer I have ever met‘.

Under Gordon Downie, Shepherd And Wedderburn’s ‘strong‘ team advised Scottish Enterprise on public procurement and state aid issues relating to both its ‘Energetica‘ scheme to create a corridor of energy business locations between Aberdeen and Peterhead, and its redevelopment of the Aberdeen Science and Energy Park. Other clients include Total and Scottish Power. Aberdeen-based Richard Cockburn and the highly rated John Schmidt are praised as ‘commercial in their approach and easy to work with‘.

McGrigors LLP operates separate practices for competition, led by Rob Lambert, and procurement state aid, led by director Alan Boyd. The team’s workload for 2008 included acting for a major retailer in the high-profile OFT investigation into supermarket price-fixing, and advising Seawell on its acquisition of Noble’s North Sea platform drilling business.

Led by Colin Miller, Biggart Baillie LLP advised Graham Dairies on the OFT investigation into alleged cartel activity in the Scottish milk market, and represented Lightways (Contractors) in interim interdict and damages actions before the Court of Session in relation to a local authority.

Brodies LLP’s team is jointly led by Rodger Murray and Christine O’Neill. The firm continued to advise Shetland Islands Council on state aid issues, and advised Aberdeen City Council on issues relating to the Aberdeen schools NPD project. Other clients include Glasgow City Council.

David Goodbrand heads Burness LLP’s ‘experienced, knowledgeable and extremely helpful‘ competition team. The firm continued to represent Arla in its claim against a number of Scottish milk companies and related OFT complaint, and advised Orkney Islands Council and NHS Orkney on issues relating to the establishment of a joint procurement vehicle to deliver infrastructure projects. Stephen Phillips and James McLean are also recommended.

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s ‘professional and pragmatic‘ team is led by the ‘thoughtful, proactive, commercial‘ Peter Willis, who splits his time between the firm’s London and Scottish offices. The firm recently advised Scottish & Southern Energy on an Ofgem investigation into a suspected abuse of a dominant position for the supply of balancing electricity.

2008 saw MacRoberts LLP advise on public procurement contracts with an aggregate value exceeding £2bn, advising clients on merger clearance, compliance and OFT investigations, including cases under its whistleblowing policy. Team head David Flint is recommended.

Led by corporate head Simon Brown, Anderson Strathern LLP advised Strathclyde Partnership for Transport as authorised undertaker of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link scheme.

New to the ranking, McClure Naismith LLP advisedInfratil on competition issues relating to Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Colin Millar is recommended.