The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Edinburgh and Glasgow, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a first tier firm,

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.

Within Corporate and commercial: Elsewhere in Scotland, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

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.

Within Corporate tax , Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a first tier firm,

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.

Within EU and competition, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a first tier firm,

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‘.

Within Licensing, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a third tier firm,

Ewan Easton is the main licensing contact at Maclay Murray & Spens LLP, which obtained related sports stadia licences for Hibernian Football Club and West of Scotland Rugby Club.

Within Commercial litigation, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a first tier firm,

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s six-partner team is headed by Tim Edward. 2008 highlights included successfully representing Arthur Simmers in a disputed joint venture agreement that went to the House of Lords. The firm also successfully advised Tesco in relation to a petition brought by West Coast Capital in the Court of Session in Scotland for unfair prejudice as a minority shareholder in Dobbies Garden Centres.

Within Debt recovery, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Alayne Swanson heads the team at Maclay Murray & Spens LLP, which acts for a number of insolvency practitioners including KPMG, Tenon Group and PwC. The firm is also active in employee debt and property arrears.

Within Banking and finance , Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a first tier firm,

Led by the highly regarded Susan Kelly, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP has an excellent reputation for property and acquisition finance. The team advised Bank of Scotland on its NOK524m (£51m) facility to Europip Norway, and Clydesdale Bank on a £15m loan to C.G.I. Group Holdings. The firm also operates a dedicated banking team in its Aberdeen office under the ‘proactice and positive‘ Scott Swankie, who has a ‘wealth of experience and is able to explain complex legal points in a user-friendly fashion‘, while other clients include Barclays, RBS and Bank of Ireland. Robert Laing and Chris Dun, who has ‘enormous in-depth knowledge, and is technically superb yet always commercial‘, are also recommended.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Led by the ‘willing, experienced and pragmatic‘ Michael Hughes, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s practice spans restructurings, administrations and liquidiations, and recently acted for the liquidators of Centenary Holdings III in relation to an investigation of prior transactions. The firm also acted on a number of business acquisitions from receivers and liquidators, while other clients include Scottish Enterprise, the Corporate High Risk division of Bank of Scotland, and RBS.

Within Unit trusts, OEICsand investment trusts, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s broad funds practice is led by Michael Livingston, who splits his time between the firm’s London and Edinburgh offices. The team advised Bank of Scotland and Uberior Ventures on the establishment of a joint venture company and two Jersey property unit trusts, and The Edinburgh Investment Trust on its change of investment manager from Fidelity to Invescom. Alastair Maclean is also recommended.

Within Employment, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a first tier firm,

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s highly rated five-partner team is headed by Jane Fraser. It successfully represented Fife Police in the defence of a sex discrimination claim brought by a former employee, and Leisurecorp on its acquisition of the Turnberry Hotel and related arrangements for its temporary closure and refurbishment. Amanda Jones and Mark Hamilton are recommended.

Within Health and safety, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a third tier firm,

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP has dual-qualified practice head David Leckie.

Within Pensions, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Gary Cullen heads the pensions unit at Maclay Murray & Spens LLP, which received first-time instructions from Schlumberger, Leisurecorp and the Scottish Government.

Within Professional negligence

Within Agriculture and estates, tier 4

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP recently acted on the multimillion-pound purchase of a Highland sporting estate that involved significant crofters’ rights issues. Gregor Mitchell heads the team.

Within Charities, tier 4

Led by Eleanor Kerr, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP advised Friends of Doonies Farm in its successful and complex bid for charitable status. Other clients include the National Theatre of Scotland, Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet.

Within Family, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a third tier firm,

Led by Noel Ferry, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP acted on a significant number of divorces in 2008 and has good experience in cross-border and European actions.

Within Personal tax, trusts and executries, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Eleanor Kerr’s broad four-partner team at Maclay Murray & Spens LLP acts for numerous high-net-worth individuals and is regularly referred work by other law firms.

Within Energy, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s team is led by the ‘personable, extremely articulate‘ Alastair McEwan, who ‘demonstrates huge depth of knowledge‘ and ‘does a fantastic job of diffusing tension in difficult negotiations‘. The firm’s carbon trading and renewable energy work continues to develop, with recent highlights including advice to Aquamarine Power on a £100m financing for the development of its wave and tidal technologies, and to Rok Civil Engineering on the Dun Law and Edinbane wind farms. Other clients include Energetics Electricity, the Department of Energy and Climate Change, and Scottish Power.

Within Oil and gas, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a third tier firm,

The key contact at Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is Uisdean Vass.

Within Projects, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Under Euan Wilson, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP advised Healthcare Scotland on its clinical waste contracts, and FES FM in relation to the facilities management contract for the Inverclyde Schools PPP project. Alastair McEwan and Rod Munro are recommended.

Within Education, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s practice acts for a range of universities and schools. Recently it advised Glasgow Metropolitan College in a proposed merger with Stow College.

Within Local government, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a third tier firm,

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP enters the ranking following a strong year, which saw Hilary Kane’s team appointed to Glasgow City Council’s panel.

Within Parliamentary , Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Michael Dean’s impressive practice at Maclay Murray & Spens LLP extends beyond Scotland’s borders to offer advice at Westminster and European level. The practice currently has four appeals pending before the European Court of First Instance.

Within Commercial property: Edinburgh and Glasgow, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a first tier firm,

Gordon Aitken heads the team at Maclay Murray & Spens LLP, which is advising Hammerson on Aberdeen’s mixed retail and leisure scheme in Union Square, and Dubai World and Istithmar on the acquisition and subsequent refurbishment of the Turnberry Hotel and Golf Course.

Within Commercial property: Elsewhere in Scotland, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

At Maclay Murray & Spens LLP, the Aberdeen-based Fraser Leslie is recommended.

Within Construction, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a third tier firm,

Led by Mark Macaulay, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s six-partner team advised Hammerson on the construction issues relating to its £250m shopping centre, retail park and transport hub in Aberdeen. Kirsti Olson successfully represented APC in the Commercial Court of Session in a payment dispute with the M6 Joint Venture company.

Within Environment, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP advised Aggregate Industries on the implications of the EU Mining Waste Directive on its UK operations, and acted for Grampian Country Food Group on a water abstraction trading agreement. Chris Smylie and team head Gillian Simpson are recommended.

Within Planning, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP advised Wiseman Dairies on a proposed development on Junction 25 of the M5 in Bridgewater, while other clients include Shawfair Developments, Aldi and CALA Homes. Team head Gillian Simpson and Chris Smylie are recommended.

Within Property litigation, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Under Ewan Easton, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP advised London & Regional in requiring O’Briens to resume trading in its new retail centre in Cumbernauld.

Within Social housing, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Headed by Chris Dun, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s lender-focused finance practice advised Lloyds Banking Group, RBS and Barclays Bank.

Within Regional review, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a first tier firm,

Edinburgh and Glagow: The country’s transactional landscape has long been dominated by the so-called ‘Big Four‘, although the gap in turnover between the largest, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP, and the smallest, Shepherd and Wedderburn, continues to widen. The group is completed by Maclay Murray & Spens LLP and McGrigors LLP, which opened a new Manchester office in 2008.

Within Information technologyand intellectual property, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a first tier firm,

Led by Fiona Nicolson, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP represented the Performing Rights Society in its copyright infringement action in the Court of Session against the Kwik-Fit Group. Other clients include Picsel Technologies, Wolfson Microelectronics and the Scottish Police Services Authority. Gill Grassie heads the contentious practice.

Within Media and entertainment

Within Sport, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a second tier firm,

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP advised Andy and Jamie Murray on their management agreements with 19 Management. Other clients include Hibernian FC.

Within Transport, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP is a third tier firm,

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s shipping litigation practice is headed by Tim Edward. The firm is representing an offshore operator in a dispute with a Norwegian shipowner concerning owners’ obligations.