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Agriculture and estates

Anderson Strathern is one of Scotland’s ‘leading firms’ for agricultural and estates matters. The team is co-led by accredited specialists John Mitchell, who has ‘a great ability to grasp complex detail’, and Jim Drysdale, who has ‘detailed knowledge of all issues of rural property law’.

Turcan Connell’s ‘well-respected and knowledgeable’ team successfully acted for a landlord in the Court of Session rent review case Morrison-Low v Paterson’s Executors. Practice head Jon Robertson is ‘highly efficient and personable’, and ‘an excellent communicator’.

Brodies LLP is noted for its ‘first-class’ service, ‘excellent business acumen and industry knowledge’. The team recently hired Clive Phillips from Ledingham Chalmers LLP. Practice head Odell Milne is an ‘outstanding asset’ and has ‘boundless enthusiasm for the subject’.

Gillespie Macandrew LLP is recommended for its ‘excellent level of knowledge’, and provides ‘concise and appropriate advice’ and ‘personal and responsive service’. Team head Robert Scott-Dempster is highly regarded, and ‘works extremely well for his clients’. Accredited specialist Mike Blair has recently joined from Thorntons Law LLP.

Morton Fraser’s clients include the MoD, Scottish Agricultural College and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. The ‘efficient and friendly’ team recently hired Kenneth Mackay from Turcan Connell, who is ‘outstandingly competent, responsive and quick’. Team head James Rust is ‘very experienced’.

Thorntons Law LLP’s Christopher Lindley leads on agricultural security work.

Peter Misselbrook leads the rural property and business team at Tods Murray LLP, after Sarah Cudworth sadly passed away. The ‘extremely efficient, pleasant and knowledgeable’ team represents the Woodland Trust and The Duke of Westminster’s Highland Estates.

Harper Macleod LLP’s clients include the Forestry Commission Scotland and the Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspectorates Directorate. Graeme Nisbet leads the team.

Lindsays provides ‘excellent service’ and is ‘efficient and thorough’. Team head Michael Yellowlees delivers ‘strategic, balanced advice in a pragmatic manner’. He recently acted for new client Golspie Community Hydro in the renewables sector.

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s clients include forest enterprise companies and leisure industry companies. Gregor Mitchell heads the team.

Colin Clark leads Pagan Osborne Limited’s team.

Davidson Chalmers LLP provides ‘fast response times and deep industry knowledge’. Practice head Andy Drane has a ‘no-nonsense, straightforward approach’, and associate Laura Tainsh is also highly regarded.

‘Experienced and able practitioner’ Alastair Shepherd leads HBJ Gateley’s team, and is praised for his ‘excellent client manner’.

Ledingham Chalmers LLP is recommended.

Murray Beith Murray WS has experience in the purchase and sale of large houses, estates, farms and salmon fisheries. Hugh Younger leads the practice.

Hamish Lean leads the team at Stronachs LLP, which undertook a substantial quantity of agricultural tenancy work in 2011.

Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP is recommended.

Charities

Burness LLP’s clients include the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and Action for Children. Recent work includes advising South Ayrshire Council on the formation of a new charity using the Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) legal form. Practice head Stephen Phillips is recommended.

Turcan Connell’s team, which is ‘always responsive’ and gives ‘solid advice’, represents Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland in its relationship with Lloyds Banking Group. Gavin McEwan, Simon Mackintosh and Douglas Connell are accredited specialists in charity law.

Anderson Strathern has particular experience in advising educational charities. New clients include HorseBack UK and the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Senior associate and team head Anne Swarbrick provides ‘practical advice and knowledge which is inestimably valuable’.

Gillespie Macandrew LLP’s clients praise its ‘very rapid and personal service’. In 2011, the group hired Morag Radcliffe from Archibald Campbell & Harley WS. Team head Tom Murray is ‘authoritative and a particularly good communicator’.

Lindsays has particular experience in restructuring and governance issues. Recent work includes advising on the merger and constitutional review of two mental health charities. Team head Alastair Keatinge is ‘pragmatic and client focused’.

Shepherd and Wedderburn provides ‘very effective service’, and advises high-profile clients such as the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Barnardo’s. Group head Malcolm Rust is ‘very approachable’.

Brodies LLP was reappointed to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) following competitive tender. Brenda Scott heads the group.

Gordon Wyllie leads DWF Biggart Baillie’s charities practice, which advises on the full spectrum of work, including governance, acquisition and funding matters.

Clients of Morton Fraser’s ‘very responsive and pragmatic’ team include Inspiring Scotland and Edinburgh College of Art. Practice head Adrian Bell advises on all aspects of charity formations, mergers and reorganisations.

T C Young’s ‘very knowledgeable’ team has extensive experience in advising charitable housing associations. It also acts as principal legal adviser to the Princess Royal Trust for Carers. Accredited specialist and team head Mark Ewing is ‘very positive and a great problem solver’.

HBJ Gateley provides an ‘outstanding quality of service’ to clients including the Scottish Forestry Commission and Edinburgh Headway. Team head Glen Gilson and Douglas Hunter are recommended.

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP gives ‘excellent service and good explanations’ to its clients, which include NASA, the National Theatre of Scotland and the Scottish Opera. Team head Alan Eccles is ‘superb’ and has ‘extensive knowledge of charity law’.

In 2011, MacRoberts LLP advised Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) on its amalgamation into Education Scotland. Practice head Duncan Osler is ‘approachable, very knowledgeable and highly experienced’.

Tods Murray LLP’s ‘excellent’ team represents clients such as HIV Scotland and St Columba’s Hospice. The group is ‘streets ahead in terms of speed, competence and general knowledge’. Practice head Richard Findlay is recommended.

Balfour+Manson LLP’s clients include the Christian Institute, the Abbeyfield Society and Asthma UK. John Hodge leads the team.

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP advises on governance and regulatory matters, and represents clients such as Save the Children Fund and Oxfam Scotland.

Pinsent Masons LLP’s team, gained from its merger with McGrigors LLP, provides ‘invaluable support’ and ‘excellent service’ to clients.

bto recently advised Argyll Community Housing Association on its adoption of charitable status. Patrice Fabien is recommended.

Harper Macleod LLP provides a ‘personal service’ to clients such as Glasgow Housing Association and the Celtic Charity Fund.

Pagan Osborne Limited is recommended.

Family

Morton Fraser has particular experience in high-value divorce and adoption cases, including international cases. It handles cases ‘sensitively, quickly, accurately and professionally’. Practice head Rhona Adams is ‘extremely capable, professional and efficient’, and Leonard Mair is also recommended.

‘One of the foremost family law firms in Scotland’, Sheehan Kelsey Oswald Family Law Specialists remains highly regarded despite the departure of Wendy Sheehan to take up full-time office as a sheriff. Rachael Kelsey is ‘a star’ who ‘instils a high degree of confidence and calmness in difficult situations’, and Susan Oswald is ‘insightful, efficient, and easy to relate to’.

Turcan Connell provides ‘extremely efficient’ service. The team has three accredited specialists in family law, and practice head Alasdair Loudon is ‘highly experienced and personable’, and ‘readily able to advise on complex and contentious matters’.

The ‘highly professional’ Andrew Gibb heads Balfour+Manson LLP’s team, which includes Shona Smith, who gives ‘sensible, straightforward advice’ and has ‘a great deal of experience in this area’, and Alastair Milne, who is ‘pragmatic and always seeks the best solution for the client’.

Brodies LLP has particular experience in high-net-worth divorce cases. Practice head Scott Cochrane is recommended, as is associate Leonie Burke, who is ‘particularly diligent and conscientious’, and ‘extremely thorough’.

Lindsays expanded its family practice in 2011 by recruiting John Fotheringham from Fyfe Ireland; clients praise his ‘commitment to help’ and ‘determination’. The team, led by the ‘enthusiastic and efficient’ Lesley Gordon, provides an ‘exceptional level of service’.

Anderson Strathern, which is ‘swift to respond, and has good strength and depth in the team’, has seen an increase in international divorce cases, as well as prenuptial contracts. Practice head Susan MacLeod is ‘approachable, conscientious and diligent’, and associate Marika Franceschi is ‘reliable and well informed’.

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s practice provides ‘outstanding’ service, is ‘absolutely committed to the case’, and has ‘exemplary’ knowledge. Associate Noel Ferry, who leads the team, has experience in high-net-worth divorces, prenuptial agreements and child relocation cases. Senior solicitor Roger Mackenzie is ‘efficient and highly effective with an endearing and unassuming manner’.

Anne Dick leads Mowat Hall Dick’s family law practice in Glasgow.

Patience and Buchan has experience in high-asset cases and cases involving children. Team head and accredited specialist Iain Patience is recommended, as is Lorna Buchan, who is accredited as a specialist in both child and family law.

Simpson & Marwick expanded its team in 2011 by recruiting Lisa Girdwood to its Glasgow office from Bonar Mackenzie WS. The team, led by the ‘extremely competent’ Shaun George, has undertaken a number of child relocation cases, and is ‘very professional and easy to deal with’.

Personal tax, trusts and executries

Turcan Connell remains a leader in the field, and demonstrates ‘in-depth knowledge of the industry, excellent customer service, and a strong team’. Douglas Connell is ‘a first-class private client lawyer’ with ‘a client-friendly approach’, and Robin Fulton is ‘attentive and informed’.

Anderson Strathern’s ‘extremely knowledgeable and efficient’ group has recently been strengthening its Italian connections through an association with a local firm in Rome. Practice head Colin Henderson is ‘very experienced’ and ‘extremely adept at asking appropriate questions and assessing the situation’.

Alan Barr now leads Brodies LLP’s ‘strong’ team, following Hugh Stevens’ retirement. The group, which adopts ‘a sensible and commercial approach’, includes accredited specialist in trust law Susanne Beveridge, who is ‘personable and professional’ and ‘leads well’.

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP has a ‘good-quality client base’ and, ‘a breadth of experience that is unrivalled locally’. Andrew Biggart leads a ‘strong and reliable’ team, in which Norman Kennedy is ‘excellent’ and Eleanor Kerr is ‘very knowledgeable’.

MacRoberts LLP advises on private and public trusts, and has experience in tax planning, particularly in relation to inheritance tax and capital gains tax mitigation, as well as executry work concerning high-value estates with IHT issues. David MacRobert leads the team.

Morton Fraser’s ‘well-resourced and knowledgeable’ group is ‘highly responsive and client focused’. Team head Sue Hunter is recommended, as is the ‘highly professional’ Sarah McKinlay, who has an ‘impeccable client manner and progressive approach’.

Robin Hill now leads Balfour+Manson LLP’s team, following Brenda Rennie’s retirement. The group, which provides ‘exceptionally good’ service and has ‘a solid reputation’, recently recruited Nicola Dundas and her team from Bonar Mackenzie.

Tom Murray leads Gillespie Macandrew LLP’s private client department, which is expert in elderly client matters. John McArthur leads the tax and trust advisory department.

Glen Gilson leads HBJ Gateley’s team, which completed a number of high-value, complex executries in 2011, and also won various new clients.

Lindsays’ private client lawyers provide ‘a high standard of service’ and ‘work very much as a team’. The practice expanded in 2011 when the firm hired Dorothy Kellas from Morton Fraser. Practice head David Reith is recommended, and Alison Boyd is noted for her ‘expertise and experience’.

John Scott Moncrieff leads Murray Beith Murray WS’ well-regarded personal tax practice. Carole Hope leads the executries team and has particular experience in cross-border succession issues.

The team at Shepherd and Wedderburn has seen an increase in instructions from financial institutions and other major companies, and has ‘an eye for detail’. Malcolm Rust is ‘reliable, approachable and caring’, and department head Brian Robertson is also recommended.

Tods Murray LLP’s private client team is ‘excellent, and shows good communication skills’. The group recently expanded when the firm absorbed Fyfe Ireland. Gordon Cunningham heads the group, which includes Robert Muir, who is ‘approachable and helpful’ and displays ‘a high degree of professionalism’.

Archibald Campbell & Harley WS provides ‘exemplary’ service in ‘a client-focused manner’, and shows ‘fantastic attention to detail’.

Scott Williamson, Donald Gordon and Douglas Sneddon lead Blackadders LLP’s private client team, alongside managing partner Johnston Clark.

Gordon Wyllie leads DWF Biggart Baillie’s private client group, in which Iain Talman and Ronnie Brown are also recommended.

Pagan Osborne Limited’s private client team is led by Alan Innes in

Edinburgh, and Fiona Shields in Fife.

Thorntons Law LLP’s Nick Barclay and consultant Sandy McDonald are accredited specialists in trust law.

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