The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial Edinburgh and Glasgow: , tier 4

Biggart Baillie LLP advised ScottishPower on selling its industrial and commercial gas business to Total Gas & Power. Wayne Lawrence heads the practice.

Within Corporate tax , Biggart Baillie LLP is a third tier firm,

At Biggart Baillie LLP, Ronnie Brown handles contentious and transactional tax matters. In 2010, he acted for Grays Timber Products on the first-ever tax appeal to the UK Supreme Court, and advised Hammerson plc and Canadian Police Pension Board on the Scottish tax and corporate aspects of their £300m acquisition of Silverburn Shopping Centre.

Within EU and competition, Biggart Baillie LLP is a second tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP’s four-partner competition team acts for clients such as McDonald’s and Babcock International in investigatory proceedings and court challenges. In 2010, the team advised the latter on a potential interdict/injunction and claim for damages against a port authority for abuse of a dominant position. Colin Miller heads the practice.

Within Commercial litigation, Biggart Baillie LLP is a third tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP’s team has ‘a very effective and efficient litigation department, staffed by sound and able practitioners who adopt a very hands-on and hardworking approach’. In 2010, it acted for Pfizer in defending a multi-party product liability claim. Practice head Brent Haywood is recommended for his ‘highly developed communication and dispute resolution skills’.

Within Debt recovery, Biggart Baillie LLP is a third tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP’s debt recovery team operates from Edinburgh and Glasgow, and is jointly led by Alison Grant and Brent Haywood. Key clients include PwC, Savills and Fife Council.

Within Banking and finance , tier 4

Biggart Baillie LLP’s finance team ‘provides the highest level of service’, with clients noting that it is ‘always a key contributor in getting the deal to completion’. With a particular focus on property finance, the team advised Apex Hotels Limited on refinancing £111m of facilities provided by RBS. Practice head Grant Docherty takes ‘a very commercial approach’.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Biggart Baillie LLP is a third tier firm,

At Biggart Baillie LLP, Derek Ellery leads a team that is ‘quick to respond, technically solid and cost effective’. Clients include KPMG and Baker Tilly.

Within Employment Employment

Within Health and safety, Biggart Baillie LLP is a third tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP’s clients include Scottish Power and Towergate. David Stevenson leads the team, which advises on compliance and crisis management, and represents clients in HSE investigations.

Within Pensions, Biggart Baillie LLP is a second tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP provides an ‘excellent level of service’ and inspires ‘a high degree of confidence’. Clients include Visit Scotland, The Highland Council, Scottish Engineering, and the YMCA. Practice head Iain Talman is recommended.

Within Personal injury: defender, Biggart Baillie LLP is a second tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP represents insurers, insurance brokers and loss adjusters including Zurich and UKAEA. The team, led by David Stevenson, has particular strength in asbestos litigation.

Within Professional negligence, Biggart Baillie LLP is a third tier firm,

Alison Grant heads Biggart Baillie LLP’s professional negligence practice, and is one of the panel solicitors appointed by RSA under the Law Society of Scotland Master Policy. The team handles claims brought against solicitors, and has particular strength in the commercial property sector.

Within Charities, Biggart Baillie LLP is a third tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP’s team, led by Gordon Wyllie, advises on matters across the spectrum of charity work, including governance, investment and reorganisation.

Within Personal tax, trusts and executries, tier 4

Practice head Gordon Wyllie, Ronnie Brown and Iain Talman are recommended at Biggart Baillie LLP.

Within Energy (excluding oil and gas), Biggart Baillie LLP is a second tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP’s renewables team is ‘very knowledgeable about government carbon reduction projects, and has good awareness of other issues which affect the energy industry’. In 2010, the firm advised ScottishPower on a £200m outsourcing partnership with Eaga plc. Practice head Wayne Lawrence has an ‘excellent manner (both with clients and third parties), and good awareness of commercial influences and interests’.

Within Projects, Biggart Baillie LLP is a third tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP provides ‘well-considered and appropriately detailed advice’. The ‘pragmatic and sensible’ Martin Gallaher advised Ringway Infrastructure Services Limited, a leading provider in highway services, regarding negotiations for a new ten-year O&M agreement for the A92 DBFO roads project.

Within Education, Biggart Baillie LLP is a third tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP is busy across the education sector, and has particular strength in higher and further education, where clients include University of Strathclyde, University of Aberdeen, Glasgow Caledonian University, Heriot-Watt University, and the University of Dundee. David Ratter heads the team.

Within Local government, Biggart Baillie LLP is a second tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP’s clients include Perth & Kinross Council, Abderdeenshire Council and Fife Council. The team, headed by Wayne Lawrence, advised the Highland Council on its £70m second-generation ICT outsourcing project.

Within Parliamentary and public affairs , Biggart Baillie LLP is a second tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP’s team in this area is ‘excellent, with perceptive and in-depth sector knowledge’. Practice head Neil Amner is well regarded for his experience and contacts. The team is external legal adviser to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, and has advised the Scottish and Glasgow Chambers of Commerce on transport and environmental policy positions.

Within Commercial property: Edinburgh and Glasgow, Biggart Baillie LLP is a second tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP is highly regarded for property litigation, where it has ‘great depth of experience’; and its advice in commercial property matters is ‘always balanced with a commercial eye on the transaction’. Clients include Marks & Spencer, and Apex Hotels Limited.

Within Construction, Biggart Baillie LLP is a third tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP’s construction team has ‘great depth and breadth of knowledge’; practice co-head Ian McCann’s ‘insight, borne from his many years of experience, is particularly valuable’. Transport and energy remains a core focus; in the latter sector the team advised Scottish Power on a number of projects in 2010.

Within Elsewhere in Scotland Commercial property: leisure and hospitality

Within Environment, Biggart Baillie LLP is a second tier firm,

Neil Amner heads Biggart Baillie LLP’s environment team, which acted for Chemring in 2010 regarding the acquisition of the interests of Nobel Enterprises Limited.

Within Planning, Biggart Baillie LLP is a second tier firm,

Murray Shaw’s planning team at Biggart Baillie LLP provides ‘outstanding response times and business acumen’, with Martin Sales singled out for his ‘excellent knowledge of the renewable energy industry’. It is advising Aberdeenshire Council on issues arising from the Trump Organisation’s application for a golf and leisure resort at Balmedie.

Within Property litigation, Biggart Baillie LLP is a third tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP ‘excels with its speed of response’. Alistair Drummond advised Arcadia Group plc as tenant in a dispute regarding liability for redevelopment costs for one of the principal redevelopments in Glasgow.

Within Social housing Social housing

Within Intellectual property, Biggart Baillie LLP is a second tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP provides ‘experienced 
professional advice and domain specialism when 
needed in IPR disputes’. The IP team successfully represented Bayer CropScience in its patent infringement claim against Albaugh in the IP Court of the Court of Session. Colin Miller heads the team and is highly recommended.

Within IT and telecoms, Biggart Baillie LLP is a third tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP advised the Highland Council on its multimillion-pound second-generation ICT outsourcing project, which completed in 2010. Colin Miller leads the group, and senior associate Douglas McLachlan is also recommended.

Within Transport, Biggart Baillie LLP is a second tier firm,

Biggart Baillie LLP’s transport group, headed by the ‘very capable’ Neil Amner, has a growing presence in maritime work, and has added the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) to its client list. The firm also handles road, rail and aviation work, where key clients include National Express and Virgin Trains.