The Legal 500

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s corporate practice worked on £7.9bn-worth of completed transactions in 2010, in line with the firm’s reputation as being ‘up there with the best’. Highlights included acting as principal adviser to FTSE 100 company Cairn Energy on the £5.65bn sale of 51% of its Indian subsidiary to Vedanta Resources. It also has a growing funds capability, and recently advised Aberdeen Latin American Income Fund Limited on its LSE listing. Danny Lee is ‘energetic and bright’, and Stephen Trombala is ‘dedicated and responsive’.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s four-partner team provides corporate and real estate tax advice to 
major corporate clients including Cairn Energy and Heineken UK. Practice head Stephen Miller advised Biocompatibles International on its proposed acquisition by BTG plc.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s breadth of capability is matched by few other firms. Recent highlights include advising Shell UK on it successful application for an exemption from EU procurement rules on behalf of the UK oil and gas industry. Gordon Downie heads the practice. Aberdeen-based Richard Cockburn has recently moved to Maclay Murray & Spens LLP.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn advises Sainsbury’s on all its licensing requirements. Team head Hugh Smith has particular expertise in the leisure sector.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s six-partner commercial litigation team ‘consistently gives an excellent level of service’. David Anderson heads the practice, and John Mackenzie joined from Pinsent Masons LLP. New client wins include the UK Border Agency and the British Dental Association. The firm is also notable for its work in the area of professional discipline, for clients such as The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn provides clients with an integrated approach between its debt recovery, restructuring and insolvency, and banking and litigation teams. Gillian Carty heads the debt recovery practice, which acts for clients such as Lloyds TSB, RBS Invoice Finance and HSBC.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn advised Bank of Scotland plc on the restructuring and restating of £220m of senior and mezzanine facilities, and on the intercreditor deed in place with Valiant Petroleum plc and other Valiant companies. Gordon Hay is an ‘excellent oil and gas finance specialist’, and practice head Andrew Kinnes is also recommended.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn is ‘at the top of the pack’ when it comes to restructuring and insolvency, with ‘a pragmatic and sensible approach, and excellent client-facing skills’. Practice head Paul Hally is ‘well respected and very experienced’, and is supported by six other Scotland-based partners, including Fiona Paterson and Gillian Carty, who ‘have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law’. Key instructions included acting for PwC as administrator of Sovereign Oilfield Group.

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

At Shepherd and Wedderburn, Michael Wylie has an ability to ‘balance strong technical skills with a commercial approach, delivered in a user-friendly manner and within agreed response times’. The team is principal legal adviser to Aberdeen Latin American Income Fund.

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

Alan Masson and Alun Thomas are key figures for Anderson Strathern, which fields a ‘solid team’ notwithstanding the departure of Neil Maclean, who joined Shepherd and Wedderburn. Clients include the University of St Andrews and Harvey Nichols.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn is a key player in the pensions area, being ‘attentive with concise reviews of legal developments’ and providing an ‘excellent level of service’. The team is acting for the trustees of the Scottish Widows Retirement Benefits Scheme regarding an ongoing pensions project. Department head Andrew Holehouse and Louisa Knox are recommended.

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

The professional negligence team at Shepherd and Wedderburn represents pursuers and defenders, and has particular expertise in medical and construction cases. The firm was reappointed to RSA’s panel, and also acts for AIG and Chartis. Iain Drummond and practice head Alastair Frood are recommended.

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

Edinburgh and Glasgow: Emerging from three years of economic turmoil, the Scottish legal market looks significantly different to that which rode the crest of the transactional wave in 2007. With no firm untouched by the downturn in transactions, different and competing strategies and goals have emerged. As a result, Scotland’s ‘Big Four’ have moved forward: Dundas & Wilson CS LLP, Maclay Murray & Spens LLP, McGrigors LLP and Shepherd and Wedderburn are still dominant players in Scotland but also deliver a broader capability, offering English law advice in London and across the UK. Brodies LLP is among the vanguard pursuing the Scotland-only strategy, increasing critical mass to provide a full service to the local market. Dickson Minto WS continues to plough a successful furrow in the corporate finance sector; and Turcan Connell is dominant on the private client front. DLA Piper Scotland LLP continues to build its reputation, particularly in corporate restructuring following some key lateral hires, while CMS Cameron McKenna LLP’s Edinburgh offering is also expanding.

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

At Shepherd and Wedderburn, ‘all matters are dealt with very quickly with a great deal of industry knowledge’. Practice head Malcolm Rust is ‘very knowledgeable and personable’. The firm was appointed as sole legal adviser to the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Scottish Community Foundation (SCF).

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

Brian Robertson heads Shepherd and Wedderburn’s private client department, which administers around 250 trusts. The team earns referrals from other firms as well as from financial institutions. Malcom Rust impresses clients with his ‘friendly, reassuring manner and exemplary efficiency’.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s cross-departmental energy practice ‘puts the client first, understands the industry and its specific requirements, has quick response times, and is very easy and uncomplicated to work with’. Highlights in 2010 included advising Cairn Energy on its $8.5bn proposed sale of shares in its Indian subsidiary to Vedanta Resources plc. Practice head James Saunders is recommended, as are Liz McRobb and Kevin McGrory, who ‘are extremely valuable due to their long industry experience’.

Within Oil and gas,

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s Kevin McGrory is ‘practical, commercial and responsive’, and is developing a strong reputation in the upstream and downstream transactional market. Highlights included advising Septa Energy Nigeria Limited on the acquisition of a substantial package of Nigerian oil and gas assets. Energy partner and former Aberdeen office head Richard Cockburn left to join Maclay Murray & Spens LLP’s energy practice in March 2011.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s sector expertise spans transport, health, waste, renewables, education and defence. Highlights for 2010 included advising Sgoiltean Ùra LLP as the SPV for the Western Isles Schools hybrid PPP project. Rhona Harper heads the practice.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn provides ‘pragmatic advice that demonstrates understanding of the sector’, and has ‘breadth and depth of knowledge’. Neil Maclean leads the group, whose clients include the University of Strathclyde, Craigholme School, Hutchesons’ Grammar School and the University of Edinburgh.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s council clients include City of Edinburgh Council, the Highland Council and Dundee City Council. Highlights in 2010 included advising on the procurement of Western Isles Council’s hybrid education PPP project. Rhona Harper heads the group.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s ‘excellent’ commercial property practice ‘compares favourably with the best that other Scottish firms have to offer’. In 2010, James Dobie’s team advised an ING UK property fund on the sale and redevelopment of St Andrews House in Glasgow. David Mitchell provides ‘a superb level of service’, and Karen Shaw delivers ‘excellent client care and is generally very competent and organised’.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn has ‘incisive, comprehensive knowledge of the construction sector’, and a strong public sector focus, recently advising NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in appointing Brookfield Europe as the preferred contractor to build the new £670m South Glasgow Hospital Campus. Practice head Kevin Taylor and Lynne Scott both ‘have the knack of bringing clarity of the legal structure to their clients’, while on the contentious side Iain Drummond ‘gives advice in a controlled, considerate and frank manner’.

Within Elsewhere in Scotland Commercial property: leisure and hospitality

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s Patricia Hawthorn continued to advise Perth & Kinross Council on its waste procurement programme in 2010, and also advised new client Heineken UK. The team’s ‘overall level of service is excellent’.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s planning practice ‘demonstrates the highest standard of service, with a full and current knowledge of the law’. Thanks to the wind farm expertise of Colin Innes – ‘one of the finest planning lawyers there is’ – the team achieved wind farm inquiry wins in 2010 for Vattenfall Limited, Baillie Windfarm Limited and I&H Brown Limited. Ewan MacLeod is also recommended.

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

At Shepherd and Wedderburn, practice head David Anderson is a ‘reassuring and knowledgeable presence’, and the team as a whole has ‘sufficient strength in depth to ensure continuity across the board’. Associate Colin Archibald gives ‘articulate, diligent advice’. Highlights included representing EDI Central in a successful claim against National Car Parks Limited to enforce obligations under a development agreement.

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

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s IP team added several new clients in 2010, including the Medical Research Council, the City of Edinburgh Council, and Khazana, a Japanese mobile phone software company. Paul Carlyle heads the team.

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

Paul Carlyle heads Shepherd and Wedderburn’s media and technology team, which continues to receive a significant number of instructions from the financial services sector. Recent highlights include advising Alliance Trust on aspects of procuring a new data centre.