The Legal 500

Within Corporate and commercial Edinburgh and Glasgow: , Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s broad corporate and commercial team provides ‘good, sound commercial advice’, and is a significant presence in the market. It advised RBS on all aspects of the unwinding of its joint ventures with Aviva, including the sale by RBS of its 50% stake in a life insurance joint venture, and attracted new clients including AEGON and Caird Capital. Practice head Douglas Crawford, Graeme Bruce, Michael Polson and David Hardie are recommended. Graham Sibbald retired in 2010.

Within Corporate tax , tier 4

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP fields three fee-earners in Edinburgh as part of its UK-wide tax advisory practice, headed by London-based corporate tax partner Jim Hillan.

Within EU and competition, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a second tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s competition team is ‘easy to work with, quick to respond, and adaptive to clients ’ needs’. The team advised RBS in relation to merger clearance issues and the competition-compliant structuring of commercial agreements related to the swap of respective interests of RBS and Aviva in life insurance and collective investment joint ventures. Practice head Peter Willis has ‘extensive knowledge and a thorough grasp of detail’.

Within Commercial litigation, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s clients are quick to highlight the client-friendly approach of the commercial litigation team, which ‘ensures that someone is available who knows the history of the claim’. Practice head Lorna Sibbald is recommended, as is ‘strong tactician’ Colin Hutton, who led the team in representing Tullis Russell, a paper manufacturing company, in a number of commercial disputes relating to the acquisition of the Gemini paper brand from Inveresk.

Within Banking and finance , Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Caryn Penley heads the team at Dundas & Wilson CS LLP, which acted for City Property Glasgow (Investments) on an innovative property transfer deal funded by £120m of facilities provided by Barclays Bank; the deal was led by Stephen Phillips, who has ‘a natural ability to get to the core of the issue quickly and focus on practical tailored solutions for his client’. David Morton moved to DLA Piper Scotland LLP, while Michael Stoneham departed to Brodies LLP in early 2011.

Within Insolvency and corporate recovery, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s ‘experienced’ corporate restructuring team remains ‘one of the leaders in the market’. Headed by ‘articulate’ insolvency expert Claire Massie, the team in 2010 acted as UK legal adviser to PwC as administrator of Scottish-headquartered airline The Globespan Group. Other clients include Ernst & Young and KPMG.

Within Unit trusts, OEICs and investment trusts, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP has wide-ranging funds expertise, spanning regulated and unregulated fund structures in real estate, private equity and 
venture capital. Its client roster includes Artemis, Scottish Widows Unit Trust Managers, and Clyde Blowers Investment Management. Colin Lawrie leads the practice.

Within Employment, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP has a ‘number of strong players’ in its employment team, including David Walker and practice head Eilidh Wiseman. The firm receives numerous instructions from higher education and public sector clients, and is the Scottish Prison Service’s sole employment law adviser.

Within Health and safety, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a third tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s practice is now headed by senior associate Duncan Mawby, following Edward McHugh’s departure. Clients include Chartis, Falck Renewables, and Scotia Gas Networks.

Within Pensions, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

David Knox heads the pension team at Dundas & Wilson CS LLP, which has ‘exceptional industry knowledge and acumen’. Recent work includes advising on risk reduction and restructuring matters. Alistair Hill is recommended, and senior associate Colin Browning displays ‘extremely impressive technical knowledge’.

Within Medical negligence: defender, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a third tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP provides an ‘excellent level of service’, and handles difficult cases ‘efficiently and well, achieving very good outcomes’. Senior associate and practice head Duncan Mawby is ‘a very experienced clinical negligence lawyer who is always prepared to go the extra mile’. The firm advises the Medical & Dental Defence Union of Scotland and also represents the Scottish Prison Service at FAIs such as deaths in custody.

Within Professional negligence, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is ‘one of the leaders in this field’, and provides ‘a first-class service’. The professional negligence team is led by Colin Macleod, who ‘always adopts a very pragmatic approach’. Senior associate Nicola Paul is also recommended.

Within Regional review, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP 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, tier 5

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s charities group, headed by Eric Galbraith, represents established clients such as Cancer Research UK and Save the Children Fund alongside new clients Roars not Whispers, and Oxfam.

Within Energy (excluding oil and gas), Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s energy practice is ‘excellent at understanding what the client wants’, and has particular strength in wind farm financing. Mark Brumwell heads the team, which acted for Beatrice Offshore Wind on consent matters regarding its wind farm.

Within Projects, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a ‘leading firm for projects work’, and provides a ‘great level of service and strong input at partner level’. Michael McAuley leads the team, which advised Moray Council on its £35m contract for the design, construction and provision of services to two schools. Keith Armstrong is an ‘exceptional lawyer who has an outstanding ability to get deals concluded efficiently without wandering off into theory and point-scoring’; and Paul Massie is ‘an impressive lawyer with a great work ethic’. Michael Stoneham left for Brodies LLP.

Within Education, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is ‘excellent’ in terms of ‘knowledge of the HE sector, advice, strength in depth and value for money’. Laurence Ward’s team advises the University of Glasgow on a range of matters including IP and IT, and is sole legal adviser to the University of Dundee.

Within Health, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a second tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s healthcare team earned instructions from ISS Mediclean as well as from public sector clients including the Health Protection Agency and NHS Tayside. Amanda Methven heads the group.

Within Local government, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

‘Exemplary in all areas’, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a key player in local government work and advises Stirling Council, West Lothian Council and the City of Edinburgh Council, among others. Ann Faulds heads the team, which has ‘strength and depth as a particular advantage’. Ailsa Ritchie is also recommended.

Within Parliamentary and public affairs , Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a third tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s public affairs team, led by London-based Colin Boyd QC, has expertise including promoting and implementing private bills. Highlights included acting for the National Grid on the legal framework for a proposed Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project. Key clients include the Scottish Government Legal Directorate, Transport Scotland, Historic Scotland, and Land Securities.

Within Commercial property: Edinburgh and Glasgow, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s commercial property team ‘has the tools to do the job and provides the right level of support’ for clients, which include Asda and Glasgow City Council. The team was very active on the institutional investor front in 2010, including advising Standard Life Investments on the acquisition and forward funding of a 90,000 sq ft office and 1,100-space car park. Iain Doran and practice head Allan Wernham are recommended.

Within Construction, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s construction team has ‘strength in depth, with consistently impressive lawyers at all levels of experience’. In 2010, the team advised Standard Life on its forward funding of a development at Collegelands in Glasgow. Lindy Patterson heads the team, and Andrew Renton is ‘particularly impressive when strategic decisions or a strong presence is required’.

Within Elsewhere in Scotland Commercial property: leisure and hospitality

Within Environment, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a second tier firm,

The team at Dundas & Wilson CS LLP advised EDF Energy on environmental issues relating to the development of a new coal-fired power station. Mark Brumwell heads the practice.

Within Planning, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s ‘first-class’ planning practice advised Druim Ba Sustainable Energy on its proposed s36 application for a major onshore wind farm near Inverness. Practice head Ann Faulds is highly recommended.

Within Property litigation, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a second tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s small property litigation team provides ‘impressive service with quick turnaround times’. Lorna Sibbald heads the practice, which in 2010 successfully defended North Lanarkshire Council in a Supreme Court appeal by Multi-Link Leisure Developments Limited.

Within Intellectual property, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Laurence Ward heads Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s IP practice, which advises the University of Glasgow’s department of research and enterprise. Its expertise in life sciences attracted new client Aquapharm Biodiscovery.

Within IT and telecoms, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s IT and telecoms practice was strengthened by the arrival of senior associate Reg Dhanjal, who brings expertise as former head of T-Mobile’s commercial and legal compliance group. The group advised Scottish Water on outsourcing its virtualised infrastructure estate to Fujitsu Services; and also acted for the Scottish Exhibition Centre on its appointment of AEG Facilities. Laurence Ward heads the team.

Within Media and entertainment, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Colin Massie now heads the media and entertainment team at Dundas & Wilson CS LLP, following Graham Sibbald’s retirement in December 
2010. The firm’s clients include Fashion Rocks and Rangers FC.

Within Sport, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a third tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP acts for clients such as the English Football League and Rangers FC. Colin Massie heads the group.

Within Transport, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP has a strong reputation on major transport projects. The group, headed by Ann Faulds, is advising Transport Scotland on all aspects of the delivery of the Borders Rail Project in Scotland. It has also advised Transport Initiative Edinburgh (tie) and the City of Edinburgh Council on consent, planning, road, and land matters relating to the Edinburgh Tram project.