The Legal 500

DLA Piper Scotland LLP

What we say about the firm's legal practice in Scotland

Corporate and commercial

Within Corporate and commercial: Edinburgh and Glasgow, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

Headed by the highly regarded Simon Rae, DLA Piper Scotland LLP’s ‘small yet formidable‘ corporate team was boosted by the arrival of Dickson Minto WS senior associate Keith Dinsmore, who joined the firm as partner. The firm recently advised the shareholders of MTEM on its £275m sale to Petroleum Geo-Services, and Vespa Capital on the £30m buyout of James Villas. Paul Pignatelli shows ‘attention to detail, tenacity, a proactive approach and limitless energy‘, and Neil Burgess ‘gets the job done and doesn’t let ego get in the way of a deal‘.

Dispute resolution

Within Commercial litigation, tier 5

Joan Devine heads the practice at DLA Piper Scotland LLP, which recently represented H Morris & Company in a significant £3.2m dispute in the Court of Session.

Finance

Within Banking and finance , tier 4

DLA Piper Scotland LLP suffered a significant blow with the loss of highly regarded banking head John Maciver to McGrigors LLP. The team is now led by project finance specialist Stuart McMillan, with recent highlights including advice to a consortium of five banks on the £350m funding of the M80 roads PFI project, and Dexia Bank on phase 2A of the Lancashire Schools PFI.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

Although Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is ‘no longer invincible‘ following the departure of Yvonne Brady and Fiona McKerrell to DLA Piper Scotland LLP, it remains the ‘dominant force in the market‘. The team is led by Ian Cuthbertson, who sits in ‘pole position for Scottish insolvency work‘, and enjoys preferred adviser status with each of the three major Scottish banks: Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale and RBS. 2008 saw the ‘go-to‘ practice advise Bank of Scotland on the reorganisation of Stead & Simpson pre-insolvency; PwC as administrators in the subsequent sale of core business interests to Shoezone; and Kroll as administrators of McA Group. Other clients include Deloitte, Ernst & Young, BDO and KPMG.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

DLA Piper Scotland LLP’s practice fell significantly in the ranking last year, with both of its restructuring partners leaving the firm. However, the firm has ‘quickly reestablished itself among the front runners‘ with the hire of ‘highly experienced and talented operator‘ Yvonne Brady and Fiona McKerrell from Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s market-leading team.

Human resources

Within Employment, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

Russell Bradley heads the team at DLA Piper Scotland LLP. The firm recently advised Atlas Air on the collective redundancy and TUPE implications of its downsizing at Prestwick Airport.

Projects, energy and natural resources

Within Energy, tier 4

Led by Andrew Fitchie, DLA Piper Scotland LLP continues to advise EMEC on its wind, wave and marine energy projects.

Within Projects, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

DLA Piper Scotland LLP advised successful bidder tie Limited, which is managing the delivery of the £500m Edinburgh Tram project. Andrew Fitchie is recommended.

Public sector

Within Local government, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

Hazel Moffat heads DLA Piper Scotland LLP’s team, which advised South Lanarkshire Council on the development of the Palace Grounds in Hamilton.

Within Parliamentary , DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

Headed by Hazel Moffat, DLA Piper Scotland LLP’s team advised several UK high street banks on a range of related parliamentary issues. Clients include the Scottish Funding Council and the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland.

Real estate

Within Commercial property: Edinburgh and Glasgow, tier 4

DLA Piper Scotland LLP drops a tier following the departure of four partners. Drew Wallace’s team advised Warren Private Clients on the purchase of Cameron Toll Sarl.

Within Construction

Within Environment, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

Douglas Taylor’s team at DLA Piper Scotland LLP advised Viridor Waste Management on successfully resolving a Water Enforcement Notice Appeal.

Within Planning, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

DLA Piper Scotland LLP successfully represented Taylor Wimpey Developments as objectors in a public inquiry to a new settlement proposal at Forestmill in Clackmannanshire. Sandy Telfer heads the team.

Scotland Overview

TMT (technology, media and telecoms)

Within Information technologyand intellectual property, DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

John McKinlay’s practice at DLA Piper Scotland LLP was boosted by the arrival of the ‘excellent‘ Scott Thiel from Dundas & Wilson CS LLP. Highlights included advising RBS on the integration and separation of over 10,000 supply contracts following the takeover of ABN AMRO, and Glasgow 2014 on its IP and commercial issues.

Within Media and entertainment, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

DLA Piper Scotland LLP advised the Edinburgh Fringe on the Edinburgh Festival. John McKinlay heads the team.

Within Sport, DLA Piper LLP is a second tier firm,

DLA Piper Scotland LLP rises in the ranking following its appointment as main legal adviser to Glasgow 2014, the organising committee for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. John McKinlay heads the team.

Transport

Within Transport, DLA Piper LLP is a third tier firm,

Andrew Fitchie heads DLA Piper Scotland LLP’s infrastructure-focused team, which advised Transport Scotland on the procurement of rolling stock for Scotland’s railways. Sharon Fitzgerald is recommended.


What we say worldwide

Please choose another DLA Piper LLP office to view full details of what we say in that region, or choose from this list to view a specific editorial reference in context.

United Arab Emirates

Offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Austria

Offices in Vienna

Belgium

Offices in Antwerp and Brussels

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Offices in Sarajevo

Bulgaria

Offices in Sofia

China

Offices in Beijing and Shanghai

Croatia

Offices in Zagreb

Czech Republic

Offices in Prague

Germany

Offices in Cologne, Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Munich

Egypt

Offices in Cairo

Spain

Offices in Madrid

France

Offices in Paris

Georgia

Offices in Tbilisi

Guernsey

Hong Kong

Offices in Hong Kong

Hungary

Offices in Budapest

Indonesia

Italy

Offices in Milan and Rome

Japan

Offices in Tokyo

Kuwait

Offices in Kuwait City

London

Offices in London

Netherlands

Offices in Amsterdam

Norway

Offices in Oslo

North West

Offices in Liverpool and Manchester

Oman

Offices in Muscat

UK Overview

Pakistan

Poland

Offices in Warsaw

Qatar

Offices in Doha

Russia

Offices in Moscow and St Petersburg

South Africa

Scotland

Offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh

Sweden

Offices in Stockholm

Singapore

Offices in Singapore

South Korea

Slovakia

Offices in Bratislava

Saudi Arabia

Offices in Riyadh

Thailand

Offices in Bangkok

Ukraine

Offices in Kiev

US

Offices in San Francisco, Seattle, Palo Alto, San Diego, Boston, Los Angeles, Tampa, Baltimore, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington DC, New York, Philadelphia, Dallas, Las Vegas, North Carolina, Austin,Texas, Houston, Texas, Reston, Virginia, Minneapolis, Atlanta, La Jolla, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Diego, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, and Orlando

Vietnam

West Midlands

Offices in Birmingham

Yorkshire and the Humber

Offices in Leeds and Sheffield

Legal Developments in the UK

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
  • Student employees – new restrictions on employment

    On 10 February 2010 a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules was laid before Parliament which is due to come into force on 3 March 2010.
    - Penningtons Solicitors LLP
  • Landlord & Tenant Briefing

    Dilapidations in commercial premises – ten points to consider
    - Bircham Dyson Bell LLP
  • Being a helpful Landlord may be a mistake!

    Most landlords and their solicitors try to resist the impulse to be helpful, however, in these recessionary times when landlords are concerned to avoid empty space, there may be the temptation to take shortcuts to ensure a letting proceeds. In circumstances where it is intended that Part II of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 (the 1954 Act) should not apply to the tenancy, i.e. that the tenant should not have the benefit of security of tenure, then occupation before the lease has been finalised (and the appropriate ‘contracting-out’ steps taken) is a potentially dangerous step and needs to be taken only when the landlord has fully comprehended the potential consequences.
    - Bircham Dyson Bell LLP
  • New regime for approval of major transport projects set to ‘switch on’

    The Planning Act 2008 (the Act) introduces a new regime designed to speed up the planning and, in turn, the delivery of infrastructure projects of national significance. For transport projects, it is one of the most important pieces of legislation in recent years. The new procedure will have to be used for any third runway at Heathrow, amongst other high-profile projects.
    - Bircham Dyson Bell LLP
  • Divorce and the media: the courts, the pay-outs and the speculation

    The rising divorce rate and some well-publicised settlements running into tens of millions of pounds have focused attention on a growing issue in divorce cases: just how far can spouses go to obtain information about their partner’s financial affairs?
    - Schillings
  • Top ten really useful cases of 2009

    If you want your panel solicitor to‘get off the fence’, need to know when a cause of action accrues or wondered whether the judiciary live in the 21st century, the following cases from 2009 provide some really useful guidance. With professional negligence claims on the increase, whether you are giving or receiving legal advice, the cases discussed below highlight practical points for all legal advisers to be aware of.
    - Bond Pearce LLP
  • The twilight zone: legal issues for directors

    there is no legal definition of the term ‘twilight zone’ (perhaps derived from the cult TV series, the writer would like to think), which is now widely used to describe a period of trading when a company has, or is predicted to have, insufficient cash to pay its debts as they fall due. This might be an immediate cash-flow crisis or the problem might be anticipated many months ahead.
    - Holman Fenwick Willan
  • Cloud computing:key issues for SMEs

    Although many definitions exist, broadly speaking ‘cloud computing’ is the outsourcing of specified IT functions via the internet (the cloud) to provide or receive services that would otherwise only be available if the end user had installed the appropriate hardware and/or software on desktops, or on local networks controlled by that organisation itself. Such services may include the use of software over the internet or remote storage of business data by a third-party provider. One benefit of this is that businesses can structure payment for these services differently (for example pay-as-you-go or on a subscription basis), rather than having to pay large sunk costs for long-term software licences, and the purchase and installation of IT infrastructure necessary to support the services locally.
    - SJ Berwin LLP
  • Commission victorious in ‘regulatory holiday’ action brought against Germany

    On 3 December 2009, following an action brought by the European Commission under article 226 of the EC Treaty (now article 258 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU) the European Court of Justice (ECJ) confirmed that Germany had failed to comply with its obligations under the European regulatory framework for telecommunications (the Common Regulatory Framework (CRF)). The ECJ’s judgment in European Commission v Germany [2009] confirms that Germany acted unlawfully by adopting a national law excluding ‘new markets’ from regulation – so called ‘regulatory holidays’.
    - SJ Berwin LLP
  • New Commission

    On Friday 27 November 2009 the new European Commission, which will begin its mandate early in 2010, was announced by Commission President José Barroso. This announcement followed a week after the appointment of Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton as the President of the European Council and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy respectively, the two new roles created by the Lisbon Treaty, which entered into force on 1 December 2009.
    - Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP