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At Turcan Connell, the ‘ legendary’ Douglas Connell heads a team with unrivalled strength in depth; with 50 fee-earners dedicated solely to trusts and tax work, including seven accredited specialists and 13 STEP members, the firm is an undisputed leader in the area. Funds under discretionary management increased to £550m, and the team acts for 10,000 private clients, administering 2,500 trusts and handling 11,000 wills. The firm also has a growing office in Guernsey, led by Alison Mackrill.

Anderson Strathern LLP has five dedicated partners in this area, led by Colin Henderson. The team currently manages investment assets worth approximately £250m, as well as holding over 6,000 wills, many of them for high-net-worth individuals, and is active in inheritance tax planning.

John Campbell has been appointed as Brodies LLP’s director of private client services. The team, noted as ‘ always exceeding expectations’, acts for major high street banks, as well as a wealth of young entrepreneurs. Hugh Stevens is a well-regarded personal tax specialist.

Gillespie Macandrew LLP has merged with Haig Scott WS, adding Alasdair McVitie as a consultant to its private client department. The team administers over 500 trusts per year, and lodges in excess of 1,000 tax returns for individuals and trusts. The last year saw the group administer over 140 high-value executries.

Accredited trust law specialist Andrew Biggart heads the department at Maclay Murray & Spens LLP, advising on wills, succession and trust planning. Clients include high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and other law firms.

MacRoberts LLP is strong in executries work, and in 2007 advised on several multimillion-pound estates. The team also acts for a genealogical company which refers its administration work for missing beneficiaries. Head of private client David MacRobert brings tremendous strength to the team.

Morton Fraser’s Scott Rae and Susan Hunter impress with their ‘ commitment, professionalism and client care’, and their offering was strengthened by the arrival of dual qualified Rory Collins. The team acted for Clarence House and the Art Fund in the purchase of Dumfries House, and is kept busy with executry and asset protection work.

Clients have ‘ a high degree of confidence in the expert handling of complicated business’ by HBJ Gateley Wareing LLP; the team is ‘ professionally supportive in every way’. It manages almost 150 trusts while also dealing with over 100 executries and the drafting of over 500 wills per year. The ‘ enthusiastic’ Glen Gilson heads the private client department, and Douglas Hunter is ‘ outstanding’.

As a result of its amalgamation with Turnbull Simson & Sturrock, Lindsays has added three team-members to its Jedburgh office, including partner Sheena West. In the last year, the firm doubled its number of wills prepared to 1,000, while also managing investments of £72m and acting for more than 300 trusts.

Pagan Osborne’s Bill Pagan is recognised as being ‘ head and shoulders above most people in tax planning’; he has ‘ a remarkable breadth of knowledge and a speed of response second to none’. The team is praised for its ‘ technically impressive advice’, and is recommended for family business and landed estates tax planning.

The team at Shepherd and Wedderburn administers around 275 trusts, with families comprising the bulk of its client base. The group, headed by Brian Robertson, delivers ‘ professional but friendly guidance’.

Tods Murray LLP’s John Biggar is a leading individual, and recently presented to court a highly important trust petition. The firm acts for around 200 public, private and charitable landowning clients, and has been joined by associate Carole Elder from Pinsent Masons LLP in Leeds, a STEP member who is English-qualified.

Janette Speed heads the six-partner private client department at Archibald Campbell & Harley WS. Richard Murray and Neil McNab are both members of the Society of Law Accountants in Scotland.

Head of private client at Biggart Baillie LLP, Dr Gordon Whyllie is noted for his expertise in succession law. The team is ‘ prompt and helpful’.

Blackadders LLP’s private client department is led by Scott Williamson, who has expertise in both public and charitable trusts. Donald Gordon is an established expert in incapacity law, and a well-respected figure in the Dundee market.

Murray Beith Murray WS is a niche private client firm whose clients span individuals, families, executors and entrepreneurs. Graham Scott is head of the private client department.

Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP advises a number of high-net-worth individuals on tax planning issues, as well as advising on wills, trusts, and investments. Several of the firm’s practitioners are STEP members.

Law developments worldwide

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