The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial: Edinburgh and Glasgow, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a first tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s corporate practice has strengths in the energy, natural resources, finance, real estate and infrastructure sectors. Highlights included acting for Infinis on its £174m acquisition of the companies owning the Minsca, Dalswinton and Slieve Divena wind farms from Scottish & Southern Energy. Practice head Andrew Blain has ‘a keen commercial sense and is very well connected within the Edinburgh legal and business community’, and is ably supported by the ‘diligent’ Stephen Trombala, Walter Blake, Michael Wylie and Rodger Cairns, who is ‘a top man for share plans’. George Frierjoined from McClure Naismith LLP.

Within Corporate tax, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a second tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s ‘extremely efficient and approachable’ tax team handles bespoke tax planning for shareholders as well as corporate tax work for clients such as Cairn Energy and Heineken UK. In 2011 it acted for British Airways Pension Fund on the VAT, SDLT and capital allowance aspects of its disposal of part of Straiton Park, Midlothian. Stephen Miller provides ‘excellent and clear advice’.

Within EU and competition, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a first tier firm,

Gordon Downie’s competition team at Shepherd and Wedderburn acted for Lothian Buses in securing interim orders from the Court of Session against Edinburgh Airport in relation to its plans to award an exclusive right to operate a bus service between the airport and Edinburgh city centre. John Schmidt is also recommended.

Within Licensing, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a third tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn continues to represent Sainsbury’s Supermarkets, as well as The Balmoral Hotel and Turnberry. Hugh Smith advises clients across the leisure sector, including hotels, golf courses and leisure and fitness centres.

Within Commercial litigation, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a second tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn brings together ‘excellent knowledge of Scottish law with the ability to explain legal points in plain English’. Six partners handle complex, high-value litigation for clients including Scottish Power and BAE Systems. The arrival of John MacKenzie has brought with it a significant IP and IT caseload, and highlights in 2011 included acting for Chivas Brothers Limited in a trade mark infringement case. The ‘approachable, responsive and practical’ David Anderson is also recommended.

Within Debt recovery, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a second tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s debt recovery team works together with the firm’s banking and finance litigation, restructuring and insolvency, and property teams. The group focuses on the recovery of debts for large commercial institutions. Clients include HSBC, Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance and Heineken.

Within Banking and finance, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a second tier firm,

Paul Hally’s ‘superb team’ at Shepherd and Wedderburn remains well known for its expertise in energy, real estate and infrastructure finance, despite the departure of energy financing specialist Gordon Hay to CMS Cameron McKenna LLP. In 2011 it acted for Lloyds Banking Group and BNP Paribas on a reserve-based facility and exploration finance facility to Faroe Petroleum. Patrick Bell is ‘a great and affable lawyer’, and Andrew Kinnes is ‘extremely knowledgeable and responsive’.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a first tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s track record in the Scottish market runs long and deep, and practice head Paul Hally has 26 years’ restructuring experience. The team continued to act for a banking client in a long-running, multimillion-pound dispute with a borrower.

Within Unit trusts, OEICs and investment trusts, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a second tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s investment management practice provides ‘unfussy service’ with ‘good sector knowledge and understanding of commercial issues’. ‘Highly capable’ practice head Michael Wylie leads the team, which advised Nucleus Financial Group on its £15m capital raising. Other clients include Aberdeen Asset Management.

Within Employment, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a third tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn advised Dundee College on its restructuring and collective redundancy consultation process. Practice head Neil Maclean is ‘approachable’, ‘very pragmatic and business focused’.

Within Pensions, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a first tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s clients include Scottish Widows Retirement Benefits Scheme and Universal Music Group Pension Scheme. Recent work includes advising Beam on an internal reorganisation. The team is ‘client focused and highly responsive’.

Within Professional negligence, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a second tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn acts for the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland in the defence of claims made against health professionals. The team acts for both pursuers and defendants and is praised as ‘very attentive and diligent’; clients receive ‘good and reasonable commercial advice’. Practice head Alastair Frood is recommended.

Within Regional review, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a first tier firm,

Maclay Murray & Spens LLP and Shepherd and Wedderburn remain dominant forces in Scotland, having also expanded southwards across the UK. Maclay Murray & Spens LLP was in merger talks with Bond Pearce LLP, but these were aborted in early 2012.

Within Charities, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a second tier firm,

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’.

Within Personal tax, trusts and executries, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a third tier firm,

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.

Within Energy (excluding oil and gas), Shepherd and Wedderburn is a first tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s energy team is appreciated for its ‘strong dedication to the client and pragmatic, high-quality and client-focused advice’. In 2011 it acted for SMart Wind Limited, a joint venture between Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Project Ventures, in securing consent for the development of eight 500MW offshore wind farms in the Hornsea zone. Practice head James Saunders is highly recommended for his ‘critical thinking and pragmatic advice’.

Within Oil and gas, tier 4

At Shepherd and Wedderburn, Edinburgh-based Stephen Trombala has taken on the firm’s oil and gas work following the departure of former practice head Richard Cockburn to Maclay Murray & Spens LLP and Kevin McGrory to Seven Energy. Trombala and Paul Hally handle corporate and finance matters for clients including Cairn Energy and Bowleven.

Within Projects, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a second tier firm,

Transport, healthcare, waste, renewables, leisure, education and defence are all areas of experience for Shepherd and Wedderburn’s projects practice, which acts for clients such as the Ministry of Defence and Viridor Waste Management. Rhona Harper heads the practice.

Within Education, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a third tier firm,

Neil Maclean leads the education practice at Shepherd and Wedderburn and is known for his ‘pragmatic approach’ and ‘excellent advice’. In 2011, the University of Edinburgh appointed the team as sole legal adviser for human resources matters.

Within Local government, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a second tier firm,

Rhona Harper leads Shepherd and Wedderburn’s government and public sector department, whose lawyers are ‘helpful, always make themselves available and deliver advice within tight timescales’. New client wins include the West Hub Territory, Aberdeenshire Council and the Highland Council.

Within Commercial property: Edinburgh and Glasgow, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a first tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s ‘strength in depth on property matters is second to none’. Nick Ryden’s team acted for RBS Hotel Investments Limited on its investment sale of the Glasgow Grosvenor Hotel and the Glasgow Hilton Hotel. James Dobie is ‘highly professional’.

Within Commercial property: Elsewhere in Scotland Commercial property: leisure and hospitality

Within Construction, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a second tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s construction team is prized for its ‘willingness to fully embed itself within the client, giving it the ability to fully understand and anticipate its needs’. Practice head Kevin Taylor combines ‘great people skills with detailed industry knowledge’, and brings that knowledge to bear for a client base of suppliers and purchasers such as City of Edinburgh Council and Taylor Wimpey.

Within Environment, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a first tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s ‘pragmatic’ practice head Patricia Hawthorn acted for Viridor Waste Management in three public procurements for waste services and infrastructure development in the Scottish ‘central belt’.

Within Planning, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a first tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s ‘accessible’ planning team provides ‘measured and considered advice’. Recently, it acted for Taylor Wimpey in an appeal against Edinburgh Council’s refusal to grant planning permission for 75 homes in South Edinburgh. Practice head Colin Innes and Ewan MacLeod are recommended.

Within Property litigation, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a first tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s property litigation team acted for EDI Central in a successful claim against National Car Parks Limited for enforcement of obligations under a development agreement. David Anderson heads the practice, and associate Colin Archibald is noted as ‘a first-class property litigator’.

Within Intellectual property, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a first tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn won new clients BBC Scotland and IMG Media in 2011. An ‘impressive’ team, it is led by Paul Carlyle, and shows ‘expertise, consummate professionalism and the personal touch’. Joanna Boag-Thomson ‘combines exceptional legal expertise with a strong grasp of commercial implications’.

Within IT and telecoms, Shepherd and Wedderburn is a second tier firm,

Shepherd and Wedderburn has seen increasing work in the financial services sector for clients including HSBC, Fidelity and Alliance Trust. Paul Carlyle leads the group.