Burness Paull LLP > Edinburgh, United Kingdom > Firm Profile

‘Burness Paull are an exceptional law firm.’

‘What sets the corporate practice apart is their outstanding team, characterised by professionalism, dedication, and a genuine passion for their work.’

‘Every team member possesses pragmatism and expertise in equal measure, their attention to detail is remarkable, and their strategic approach sets them apart from other firms.’

‘The team has strong leadership and provides great advice.’ 

‘The Burness Paull team, regardless of the division assisting you, are always proactive and responsive to business needs.’

‘They provide an excellent service and innovative solutions and advice.’

‘Mark Ellis provides outstanding partner support.’

‘Edward Hunter provides direct, frank and pragmatic counsel.’

‘There are a wide variety of specialist within the team, which allows individuals to be brought in on areas like property, when specific issues arise. However, clients always felt that they are in the care of one core team who ensures things progress through every single stage.’

‘Alasdair Freeman is diligent and patient and takes time to explain issues which clients do not understand. He creatively looks for solutions when problems arise.’

‘Excellent team ethic – always able to take over from each other depending on the needs of the client.’

‘Helen Dickson is good to work with and brings colleagues in as required’

‘Helen Dickson is hugely experienced and insightful in novel finance arrangements. Her approach to unusual structures is valued by the client, as is her experience when applying these to the oil and gas sector.

‘Helen Dickson has a deep understanding of corporate areas and is often much more bullish than those in magic circle firms.’

‘Christine Yuill is very user-friendly and down-to-earth.’

‘One factor which makes Christine Yuill stand out is that she can provide both tax advice and employee share plans advice which means she can handle everything rather than needing to seek advice from two specialists.’

‘Their Glasgow-based corporate tax lawyers are very practical and responsive.’

‘Christine Yuill is a stand out. She manages to strike the perfect balance between technical and commercial. She is extremely knowledgeable about tax legislation and share plan rules, and can explain and apply them in a straight up and understandable way.’

‘Christine Yuill does not send essays that are unhelpful like some other tax lawyers. Christine is always quick to respond and progress queries, and appears to work seamlessly under pressure, as the service levels are always high.

‘Partner Christine Yuill has a perfect blend of technical expertise and market knowledge, which is brought to the next level by her practical application, down-to-earth support and charming attitude.’ 

‘The team is great and has recently been enhanced. Christine Yuill’s knowledge of share schemes and corporate tax in general is a differentiator.’

‘Christine Yuill is very knowledgeable but more importantly is very client-friendly in her engagement.’

‘The employment law team headed by Mandy Laurie is excellent. Commercial and pragmatic.’

‘The experience, knowledge and the ability to provide solutions assists us to take measured and reasonable decisions.’

‘Mandy Laurie is exceptional. She can always find a pragmatic and commercial solution to any issue.’

‘David Morgan’s experience of handling complex trade union issues has benefited us greatly. His perception and considered analysis is most valuable.’

‘Andrew Knight is very capable and technically astute.’

‘Morag Moffett: Very quickly tunes in to any issues that we face, which allows her to give focussed, solutions-driven advice.’

‘Ronald Mackay: Calm and assured in his advice with a lot of experience of our sector and the challenges that we face.’

‘They are always willing to consider any issues carefully and tailor their advice accordingly.’

‘Grace McGill is an outstanding solicitor with great client empathy and a focus on practical results.’

‘Grace McGill is the leading immigration solicitor in Scotland. She is an outstanding performer.’

‘In addition to having an in-depth knowledge of immigration law, the team is incredibly personable.’

‘Jamie Kerr’s advice is quickly tailored to every matter and in addition to the legal aspects, he offers rounded and practical tips to make the immigration process smooth.’

‘While no application is easy, I can say with confidence that I would use Burness Paull again without hesitation, given their excellent track record.’

‘Amna Ashraf’s warmth, humour and expertise gave us confidence in the process and comfort in the outcome.’

‘The team is a recognised group of leading immigration lawyers in Scotland. The team is diverse with many members playing a role in organisations outside the legal profession in contributing to societal change and policy development.’

‘Solid, first-rate advice is a given, but also the level of empathy Burness Paull shows is exceptional.’

‘The Burness Paull banking and finance team is incredibly hard-working, extremely responsive and very commercial.’

‘Dawn Reoch all-round is an outstanding lawyer. She is highly technical, hard-working, very commercial, responsive and, above all, great to work with and a thoroughly nice person.’

‘Their key strength is in their depth and sector specialism. Burness Paull are a renewable energy firm who intimately understand the sector and the market. Their lawyers are well experienced with projects in this asset class and the unique challenges and risk allocation they bring.’

‘They are approachable, hard-working and very active members of the Scottish energy market.’

‘Sophie Coffey is a very experienced banking and finance lawyer. She has supported on a number of finance and M&A processes in connection with Scottish renewable energy assets over the years. She is knowledgeable, easy to work with and can sensibly benchmark positions across similar projects.’

‘Excellent technical skills allied to a very commercial approach and great fun to work with.’

‘Jonathan Heaney is top class.’

‘The team are extremely capable and knowledgeable about their specialisms, building confidence that the matters they deal with will be properly handled.’

‘They all are extremely capable and approachable and happy to discuss matters to come to the correct course of action.’

‘Michael Thomson and Allana Sweeney have built a strong team that is very responsive. They are excellent lawyers able to manage complex transactions efficiently and deliver for clients. They are a pleasure to work with.’

‘Michael Thomson is very visible and hands-on. He is pragmatic and co-operative with all parties in order to get to the right solution on any assignment.’

‘Allana Sweeney is excellent and really knows her stuff. She can see the issues and is very collaborative in finding solutions.’

‘Led by partners , Michael Thomson and Allana Sweeney, this team is talented, hard working and genuinely focussed on the client. They deliver positive outcomes while retaining a positive attitude throughout what can often be stressful negotiations.’

‘Michael Thomson is bright and highly engaging. He really listens to what the clients want, never over complicates and delivers.’

‘Allana Sweeney is an exceptional lawyer with a fantastic eye for detail and very strong on the technical side, but never loses sight of what the client needs.’

‘Always responsive and oriented to solving problems.’

‘Ruaridh Cole takes ownership of issues and ensures they are completed.’

‘The team are incredibly responsive, helpful and they really go the extra mile.’

‘They are our go-to firm in Scotland.’

‘Paula Kennedy really goes above and beyond to assist. She is a pleasure to work with.’

‘No better Scots law funds team.’

‘Andrew Christie is exceptional.’

‘Commercially minded, well-informed about both a client’s business and the wider market, personable and a smooth extension of the in-house team.’

‘Incredibly proactive.’

‘Graeme Bradshaw is a breath of fresh air. He is commercially minded with an ability to cut through and simplify complex matters.’

‘Excellent partner availability.’

‘Richard Rennie is efficient with solid commercial advice.’

‘Burness Paull are true market leaders in terms of their knowledge and experience. They have a strength in depth that covers all markets, and their advice adds real value to our transactions.’

‘Scott Peterkin’s integrity and personal commitment to his clients is central to his consistent success in achieving positive results in negotiations. He is outcome-driven and strikes an exceptional balance between strategic and detailed approaches.’

‘The team is particularly knowledgeable of Scottish property law and helpful in guiding English lawyers through the intricacies of buying property in Scotland.’

‘Yvonne Byrne is pragmatic and a good communicator.’

‘Burness Paull are market leading in Scotland for property litigation. They have in-depth knowledge and are always seeking the best results for clients.’

‘Alan McMillan’s reputation precedes him.’

‘The team always provides full and timely instructions.’

‘Colin Hulme has significant experience in trade mark matters and has a pragmatic attitude.’

‘Colin Miller provides excellent advice on intellectual property matters in a variety of research contracts.’

‘Responsive, helpful, and knowledgeable.’

‘Burness Paull LLP has gained a well-deserved reputation as one of the leading dispute teams in Scotland. Their ability to reach suitable resolutions in some very difficult IP and copyright disputes which my company were victims of is a clear indication of their qualities.’

‘Burness Paull’s ability to enforce IP rights in a way which deters others either through their innovative approach or media publicity is hugely valuable.’ 

‘Colin Hulme has a depth of knowledge, experience and skill in IP work which proves valuable beyond measure in protecting copyright and IP interests.’

‘Rebecca Ablett is a credit to Burness Paull, displaying the same stellar qualities which Colin Hulme possesses.’

‘A very responsive firm which provides a full and prompt service.’

‘Exceptional quality of support staff, which makes more of a difference to clients than law firms necessarily realise.’

‘Flexible and innovative.’

‘Giuseppe Pia has an excellent grasp of current issues in the media, especially TV Production.’

‘Strong all round competition counsel in Colin Miller.’

‘Particularly strong on how competition law impacts IP and commercial agreements.’

‘Extremely strong commercial IP expertise, they really understand the agreements on which they give competition advice.’

‘Gary Moffat has a wealth of knowledge in insolvency and financial services litigation and uses that knowledge to identify commercial solutions for his clients. He is incredibly strong when it comes to identifying strategy.’

‘Sophia Harrison is very client focused. She takes time to get to know her clients and understand their business needs and objectives.’

‘Joanna Fulton is meticulous. She has excellent attention to detail, which is invaluable when it comes to managing litigation projects.’

‘Burness Paull is the front of all wisdom in Scotland when it comes to commercial litigation. Forward-thinking and always looking for the best results for clients.’

‘Alan McMillan’s reputation precedes him.’

‘Burness Paull is our go-to Scottish counsel. It fields an exceptionally strong disputes teams, which is adept at handling high-value and complex disputes. They have excellent knowledge of Scots law and are able to field a skilled team to match the needs of the case regardless of the subject matter.’

‘Highly commercial approach, delivering excellent results with a pragmatic focus.’

‘Andrew Forsyth is excellent and provides expert guidance on complex matters.’

‘The team has provided timely and effective support to our business over a number of years in relation to the management of safety investigations.’

‘Lynne Gray is business-minded and understands the internal pressures associated with conducting a health and safety investigation efficiently in a large organisation. She has provided us with a steady, guiding hand when things have gone wrong.’

‘Lynne is very knowledgeable, approachable and has vast experience of dealing with the HSE.’

‘Lynne Moss is knowledgeable and approachable, ensuring a seamless service is provided to her clients.’

‘Margaret Meehan and Liam Young are an incredible pensions double act. They combine intellectual rigour with formidable strategic thinking and are commercially astute.’

‘Margaret Meehan and Liam Young excel in all areas of pensions law.’

‘Responsive team with expertise in pensions law.’

‘Great responsiveness and ability to seamlessly fit their advice into our M&A process.’

‘Lovely team, always a pleasure to work with.’

‘Margaret Meehan is hugely experienced, sensible, articulate and concise.’

‘Excellent depth and experience across this team. Very highly recommended.’

‘Sarah Phillips and Margaret Meehan are professional, responsive, and provide excellent commercial advice to make the decisions around the complex issues of pensions understandable and accessible.’

‘I honestly cannot speak highly enough of them.’

‘Thorough in their approach at all times, extremely professional services. Deadlines are not missed, which is critical to the charity and ease of business. Diverse range of expertise available and extremely experienced how this applies to the charity practice.’

‘The team at Burness Paull is extremely approachable and no wrong door approach to get advice. The strength and diversity of the team allows quick responses and solutions.’

‘Recently, we have worked mostly with Emma Maxwell, who is always easy to talk to, knowledgeable and generally a pleasure to work with.’

‘Emma Maxwell provides focused advice and detailed knowledge of the third sector, on charity regulation and governance in a friendly and easily understood way.’

‘The charities and not-for-profit team at Burness Paull has extensive knowledge and experience. We have worked with them over many years and cannot fault their service.’

‘Emma Maxwell is extremely knowledgeable and approachable. She is highly skilled in being able to explain technical jargon to those who need to know their legal responsibilities as charity trustees.’

‘They have a client-centred and collaborative approach and understand the challenges faced by third sector organisations like ours. They have gone above and beyond what I might have expected on several occasions.’

‘Expertise in an approachable manner.’

‘Efficient, prompt and clear.’

‘Well organised proactive team with the various necessary specialisations. Communication is swift and clear with sensible practical advice based on likely outcomes to control the downside of any action.’

‘Ashley Jones and Claire Macpherson dealt with our work and were both outstanding in efficiency, knowledge and advice. We clearly mattered to them as individuals and were NOT just another case. I would have no hesitation in recommending them.’

‘Richard Smith is an incredibly experienced family law practitioner. He’s bright and no nonsense. He fights his client’s corner ferociously where appropriate; he is pragmatic and thinks outside the box.’

‘Jennifer Wilkie is an excellent lawyer.’

‘The team was very dedicated and showed great attention to detail right from the start. With their wealth of experience in the field, I knew I was in extremely capable hands, and they achieved an excellent result.’

‘Richard Smith’s approach was methodical, analytical, compassionate and empathetic. He provided guidance and reassurance at every step of the way. Nilah Ulhaq was also extremely capable, highly efficient, reassuring and compassionate. They always updated me immediately with any new developments and explained everything thoroughly. They filled me with the utmost confidence.’

‘Jennifer Wilkie is a true example of a contemporary lawyer: not only is she highly knowledgeable, with excellent communicative and interpersonal skills, but also compassionate, assertive and creative.’

‘I have always admired Richard Smith for his calm good sense and overall competence. He and Nilah Ulhaq make a good team.’

‘Richard Smith – without doubt one of the best family lawyers in Scotland. He has a fantastic reputation. He can manage complex cases. He is all over the detail without losing sight of the bigger picture. Jennifer Wilkie is fantastic. She has a great focus on the detail, and her preparation is second to none. David Coutts is a great all-rounder in terms of matrimonial finance and children cases.’

‘Nilah Ulhaq is very impressive and will be one to watch in the years ahead. She is far more able than her years of experience would suggest. She works closely with Richard and has been a pleasure to work with. Really very good.’

‘A solid team with a good depth of personal tax and significant experience in trusts.’

‘Clients will value the overall technical competence combined with the personable nature of the team.’

‘Experts in their field and able to apply their knowledge to clients’ circumstances to give practical, commercial advice. I have also seen examples where they have worked with overseas affiliates to give non-UK tax advice to ensure the client has one point of contact without having to deal with lots of different advisors. As a full-service law firm, they are able to draw on other areas of the business when implementing planning.’

‘I find Colin McKenzie easy to work with, and we are able to work together to give the best overall advice to the client in a seamless way.’

‘Deep knowledge of this area of Scots law and a strong teamwork approach.’ 

‘Amanda Armstrong and the rest of the team have carried out a lot of work on my mother and aunt’s estates in the past four years and they have been diligent, helpful and proactive throughout.’

‘Claire Macpherson: Available, responsive and knowledgeable.’

‘Fiona Clarke has not only an abundance of technical expertise but also an excellent manner when it comes to client engagement.’

‘They are responsive and pragmatic, using their market knowledge as well as legal expertise to deliver solutions that are valuable to clients.’

‘In addition to high-quality legal advice, they are responsive and personable, making them very easy to work with.’

‘Their key strength is in their depth and sector specialism.’

‘Burness Paull are a renewable energy firm who intimately understand the sector and the market. Their lawyers are well experienced with projects in this asset class and the unique challenges and risk allocation they bring.’

‘Neil Bruce has extensive knowledge of the real estate market in Scotland, in particular, the relevant intricacies from the perspective of renewable energy project development. This expertise is highly valued by clients.’

‘Sophie Coffey is a very experienced with Scottish renewable energy projects. She is knowledgeable, easy to work with and can sensibly benchmark positions across similar projects.’

‘The team has a wide breadth of experience across the sector with very deep knowledge across energy real estate, energy finance and regulatory. The attentiveness and excellent client care are second to none in this market.’

‘The depth of the team is key, with a range of partners and associates who are able to pick up where others have left off. Their strengths in this people management and collaboration stand out in the field due to their consistent engagement with the sector as a whole, and the individual clients.’

‘The practice is unique in that it combines solid legal work with pragmatic business solutions where needed. This is refreshingly different from many practices which approach from a ‘legal’ perspective only.’

‘Bob Ruddiman provides really practical business advice and a good broader view of the business needs.’

‘Bob Ruddiman is highly experienced and incredibly useful from a strategic point of view. Bob is ideal for issues that require gravitas, and particularly helpful for issues at board level.’

‘A team with a broad focus and experience. Team head Bob Ruddiman has excellent upstream experience and market knowledge that is unrivalled in the local market.’

‘The team has restructured to bring together its traditional M&A practice (which had a substantial oil and gas focus), its upstream practice and its renewables practices under a single “energy” practice. This seems to have allowed it to operate on a leaner basis, reacting and pivoting to where the opportunities are without carrying the costs of true specialist teams.’

‘Bob Ruddiman is extremely personable, quickly able to understand issues and come up with practical solutions, often with reference to his deep experience.’

‘Burness Paull’s oil and gas practice has a wide breadth of expertise and always provides advice with rapid response time.’

‘Brian Hemming is knowledgeable and vastly experienced.’

‘We have worked with the Burness team for a number of years, and their expertise and knowledge of our business makes their contribution invaluable.’

‘The key experience we rely on is dispute Resolution, and the Burness team are particularly strong in developing strategies with us to minimise the commercial impact to our business.’

‘Experience and knowledge of our business are the key attributes that we have sought from Burness.’

‘James Forbes’ understanding of our business goals has been a significant benefit to us.’

‘Chris Horsley’s experience and guidance on dealing with shareholders and creditors cannot be underestimated.’

‘Their experience of the public sector and education is invaluable.’

‘They are good to work with and provide clear, easy-to-understand advice at all times and go above and beyond.’

‘There are many strengths that make this practice excellent to work with: the partner we deal with is contactable at all times and if on holiday, they make sure another partner in the firm is fully briefed; communication is good; and the partners are friendly and very approachable.‘

‘What I think stands out about Burness is the excellence of its individuals.’

‘It is a proud Scottish independent firm and projects a clear message about itself.‘

‘I work with Joanna Fulton and she is my go-to Scottish lawyer on pharmaceutical and medical device issues. She is bright, considered, hard-working and conscientious and very good at putting a team in place and managing it. She has great contacts with other lawyers, which is key when working on significant litigation. Joanna has also now built up significant experience in medical device claims.’

‘The team at Burness Paull has a wealth of experience in working with a range of public bodies. They also have experience and knowledge of a wide breadth of regulatory law that applies to us as an organisation and employer, from equality law to data protection and freedom of information. We trust them to provide us with excellent advice.’

‘They are approachable, reliable, friendly, efficient, knowledgeable and inspire confidence. They have great values. Standouts include senior solicitor Louise McErlean.’

‘Although a relatively new team, they bring together expertise from different firms and have quickly developed into a strong and trusted team.’

‘Louise McErlean previously worked at a large commercial firm and brings that style of work and enthusiasm to her new team.’

‘Collaboration is a key standout for me. Great partnership within the team across a range of projects.’

‘Approachable team that easily translates technical wording for the layman. Always at the end of the phone for any discussions.’

‘Andrew Little is readily available, knows what he’s talking about at all times, and is down-to-earth.’

‘A team of highly respected individuals who are great at getting into the details of a matter whilst still maintaining sight of the bigger picture.’

‘Qualified and dedicated personnel who work well together. Excellent use is made of IT systems for both meetings and distributing documents.’

‘They provide clear and unambiguous instructions as to the requirements of expert reports. Personnel are open to discussion to explore alternative views and respond quickly to requests for information and clarification as to requirements.’

‘The team has an excellent reputation for delivering a high level of service and for the in-depth knowledge and experience they have of the Scottish housing sector and environment, over a range of areas from property acquisition to project assembly and security work to funding and finance.’

‘Peter Chambers is a recognised industry expert in the property and land acquisition sector.’

‘Peter Chambers has extensive experience in complex land transactions and the construction sector making him ideally placed to advise on anything from more conventional property deals to innovative and specialist deals.’

‘David Antonelli has extensive expertise in property and site acquisitions, construction contracts, certificate of title provision and security charging. He is attentive, reliable, helpful and a pleasure to work with because of the calm and confident way in which he operates.’

‘Leading housebuilding firm in Scotland. They provide a comprehensive service with detailed market knowledge.’

‘Louise Chambers is extremely personable and never ruffled. She is dogged and works very hard to get transactions completed.’

‘Stephen Farrell has developed an excellent track record of acting in football disputes. He is able, direct and commercially-focused.’

‘A leading practice in Scotland. They are highly visible and engaged in the sector.’

‘Stephen Farrell is conscientious and always keen to support.’

‘Burness Paull has a deep knowledge of the industry and an unbeatable experience in court.’

‘Andrew Little is a great lawyer, very easy going and accessible, always ready to provide first-class advice.’

‘An all-round excellent team with a broad range of experience. Able to provide concise, clear advice which dovetails sound legal knowledge with a commercial pragmatism which, as a client, is entirely what we look for in a law firm.’ 

‘Whilst they are clearly very busy, the service remains exceptionally good.’

‘Andrew Forsyth is an excellent lawyer – he obviously has a wealth of legal knowledge, but is able to understand and appreciate the commercial realities that we face. That overriding pragmatism is a theme that carries down throughout his team and is highly appreciated by us as an organisation.’

‘Rather than focusing on the potential minutiae of a legal point, Andrew Forsyth and his team appreciate that we, as an organisation, also have to consider the wider perspective.’

‘They are always a pleasure to work with and can be thoroughly relied upon to put forward our position to the best of their ability.’

‘Extremely proactive. We always feel like it’s a personal service, and they are on top of the case. Extremely detailed preparation and ready to give recommendations based on sound justifications.’

‘Andrew Forsyth is not only great at handling cases but extremely engaged in updating us with litigation developments.’

‘The team has good technical and institutional knowledge, and they are always prepared to listen to their client’s needs.’

‘Burness Paull has a solid team, particularly in the marine and offshore fields.’

‘Andrew Forsyth is thorough and experienced. A pleasure to deal with.’

‘The team has knowledge of marine law. They know the area of law well. They also know their client’s business and maintain a commercial view with their advice and don’t just focus on the legal position.’

‘An all-round excellent team with a broad range of experience. Able to provide concise, clear advice, which dovetails sound legal knowledge with commercial pragmatism; exceptionally good service.’

‘Andrew Forsyth is practical in his approach, his response is swift and commercial, and he gives clear advice.’

‘Personable and knowledgeable team. They anticipate any issues before they arise and deal with them before they become a problem. Each discipline is represented well by articulate members. A joy to work with.’

‘Alastair Sutherland is straightforward and knowledgeable. He guides us through the many planning issues that we have.’ John Sinclair – the most commercially astute solicitor that i have worked with which makes our life easy!’

‘Accessible and available with sound advice given.’

‘Alasdair Sutherland is always on hand with trustworthy and reliable advice.’

‘Responsive service with excellent variety and depth of planning knowledge.’

‘Proactive and willing to provide informal views where necessary.’

‘Emma Dewar works diligently and offers sound professional planning advice.’

‘Alistair Sutherland is outstanding. He has considerable experience and knowledge of both planning law but also how the systems work and how to interact with the planning officers of various planning authorities.’

‘They are always positive, precise and friendly.’

‘We are extremely grateful to Alan Gibson for all his work and undivided attention he has given to us. He is extremely good at his job. His attention to detail is great and his interpretation of contracts is superb. He goes above and beyond – unbelievable dedication to the job.’