The Legal 500

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

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s corporate practice, which many consider to be ‘the standout best in Scotland‘, is led by Michael Polson. The ‘commercial and practical‘ team advised Clyde Blowers on its US$1bn acquisition of the pumps, gears and hydraulics business from Textron; RBS on the £950m disposal of its interest in Tesco Personal Finance to Tesco; and Resolution on the Scottish aspects of its £5bn takeover by Pearl, working alongside Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP. Clients find the ‘tremendously dedicated and professional‘ Graeme Bruce to be ‘a most capable lawyer‘, while Graham Sibbald also receives glowing feedback. Stuart MacLean and Greig Williamson have been promoted to the partnership.

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

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s growing team, which is led by the ‘personable‘ Jim Hillan, recently advised Scottish and Southern Energy on the structuring of its 20% interest in Geothermal International.

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

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s ‘professional and pragmatic‘ team is led by the ‘thoughtful, proactive, commercial‘ Peter Willis, who splits his time between the firm’s London and Scottish offices. The firm recently advised Scottish & Southern Energy on an Ofgem investigation into a suspected abuse of a dominant position for the supply of balancing electricity.

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

Headed by Lorna Sibbald, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s ‘value-for-money‘ group is praised for its ‘excellent‘ service and ability to ‘take a practical approach and outline all the issues‘. The firm is particularly recommended for financial services related disputes. Recently it advised Tullis Russell Papermakers in a case against Inveresk. Colin Hutton is considered an ‘outstanding individual‘.

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

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s broad, market-leading practice is led by the ‘very experienced‘ Caryn Penley, whose ‘strong commercial and personal skills are a real asset to have on your side during difficult negotiations‘. Recent highlights include advising a syndicate of banks on its £80m financing of the MBO of Ashtead Technology Rentals; Bank of Scotland as agent for a seven-bank syndicate on a $540m facility to Melrose Resources; and Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi on its £304m refinancing of the Crystal Rig, Paul’s Hill and Rothes wind farms. Stephen Phillips ‘takes personal responsibility for transactions and is always available‘, while Alan Fulton is ‘able to translate legal matters into commercial decisions‘. David Morton and Michael Stoneham are also highly recommended.

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

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP boasts a comprehensive practice, with corporate head Michael Polson also an investment trusts specialist, and Colin Lawrie and Philip Mackay focusing on unregulated and regulated funds respectively. The ‘excellent, dedicated and knowledgeable‘ team advised Clyde Blowers on the £215m launch of the Clyde Blowers Capital Fund II; Templeton Emerging Markets Investment Trust on a tender offer for up to 30% of its issued share capital; and Dunedin Enterprise Investment Trust on changes to its investment policy, new management arrangements, and a commitment to a new fund.

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

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’ ‘excellent‘ team is praised for its ‘timely, focused and pragmatic advice‘, ‘great business acumen and extremely in-depth knowledge of all aspects of employment law‘. Group head Eilidh Wiseman is commended for her ability to ‘manage successfully, highly complex individual casework‘, while partner David Walker is ‘diligent, responsive, creative and innovative‘.

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

Senior associate Edward McHugh heads Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s team, which represented the Health and Safety Executive at the joint UK/Scottish Government public inquiry into the ICL Factory explosion. Clients include AMF Bowling, and Scottish and Southern Energy.

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

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP has a broad-based two-partner team featuring Alistair Hill and highly rated group head David Knox. The firm is recommended for its transactional-related pensions advice, and advised Clyde Blowers on the implications of its US$1bn acquisition of Textron. The practice has several key public sector clients, including Glasgow City Council and Stirling Council, and is well versed in scheme advisory work for trustees and employers.

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

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP represented Royal & Sun Alliance as lead insurers in a significant number of solicitors’ negligence cases under the Law Society of Scotland Masters Policy, and Norwich Union on a number of engineers’ negligence claims. Colin MacLeod heads the top-notch team.

Within Charities, tier 5

New entrant Dundas & Wilson CS LLP acts for a number of charities including National Library of Scotland, Social Investment Scotland and LandTrust. Corporate head Eric Galbraith leads the team.

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

Promoted to the top tier this year, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s practice ‘inspires confidence‘. The firm is particularly strong in nuclear, waste and renewables, while its European reach is reflected by instructions from Elia and Etso. Led by Andrew Renton, the team recently advised National Grid on the property and planning aspects of its £18bn upgrade and extension to its UK networks; Fred Olsen Renewables on the £304m refinancing of its UK wind farm portfolio; and EDF Energy Renewables on its joint venture with Energy Nouvelle. Donald Cumming and David McGowan are also recommended.

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

Under Michael McAuley, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a regular adviser to the public sector on Scotland’s largest projects. The ‘consistently first-class‘ team advised Inverclyde Council as sponsor of the Inverclyde Schools PPP; Transport Scotland as sponsor of the M80 DBFO roads PPP; and Grosvenor House on the £15m PFI project for the redevelopment and reprovision of the St Michael’s Community Hospital in Braintree. Michael Stoneham and Ailsa Ritchie are also recommended.

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

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s advice is ‘consistently of the highest order‘. Clients include Heriot-Watt University and the University of Glasgow, which it recently advised on the purchase of a purpose-built haematology laboratory from NHS Greater Glasgow Health Board. Laurence Ward heads the team.

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

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s ‘prompt, efficient and professional‘ team is led by Michael McAuley. The firm was recently appointed adviser to the Health and Capital Planning Division of the Scottish Government Health Directorate, and also has several key private sector clients.

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

Led by Ann Faulds, Dundas & Wilson Cs LLP’s ‘response times, sector knowledge and experience is first rate‘. Clients include Stirling Council, Shetland Islands Council, and City of Edinburgh Council, which it is advising on the Edinburgh tram project.

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

Colin Boyd QC heads Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s team, which has been very active on transport issues and recently advised Trump Organisation on its appearance before the Local Government and Communities Committee of the Scottish Parliament in relation to its golf resort in Aberdeenshire.

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

Led by Iain Doran, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s seven-partner practice advised Bank of Scotland in the acquisition of a large mixed-use development site in central Edinburgh from Scottish & Newcastle. Other clients include Land Securities and the Trump Organization, which it advised on the high-profile acquisition and development of a golf resort in Aberdeenshire.

Within Commercial property: Elsewhere in Scotland

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

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s ‘excellent‘ practice is headed by disputes expert Lindy Patterson, who is praised for her ‘ability to provide speedy, clear and practical advice‘. Handling both contentious and non-contentious work, the team acted on a number of infrastructure deals and advised Scottish Exhibition Centre on the £86m events arena for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

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

Led by Mark Brumwell, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP advised Northern Ireland Water on a variety of environmental and regulatory matters, and the Trump Organisation on the environmental concerns surrounding its £1bn golf resort development in Aberdeenshire.

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

‘The advice is succinct, to the point and immediately usable‘ at Dundas & Wilson CS LLP, whose lawyers ‘spell out the risks and offer clients clear choices‘. The firm advised Trump Organisation on its controversial £1bn golf resort development in Aberdeenshire, and Scottish and Southern Energy on its Beauly to Denny Overhead Transmission line. Team head Ann Faulds and Trudi Craggs are praised for their ‘boundless energy and in-depth knowledge of planning‘.

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

The ‘highly experienced‘ Lorna Sibbald heads Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s ‘client-focused and responsive‘ team, which is ‘particularly skilled in complex, multi-strand disputes‘. ‘Smart and dynamic‘ senior associate Chris Paterson is ‘a rising star‘.

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

Edinburgh and Glagow: The country’s transactional landscape has long been dominated by the so-called ‘Big Four‘, although the gap in turnover between the largest, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP, and the smallest, Shepherd and Wedderburn, continues to widen. The group is completed by Maclay Murray & Spens LLP and McGrigors LLP, which opened a new Manchester office in 2008.

Within Information technologyand intellectual property, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP is a first tier firm,

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s broad team is headed by the ‘invaluable and hugely experienced‘ Laurence Ward. The firm advised Glasgow City Council on its £265m joint venture agreement with Serco, and Ernst & Young on complex IP issues stemming from the administration of pharmaceutical company Ardana. IP partner Carina Healy is recommended, and senior associate Alan Nelson is praised for his ‘commercial acumen‘.

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

Graham Sibbald heads Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s media team, which advised MG Alba (Gaelic Media Service) on its partnership with the BBC to launch a Gaelic-language digital TV channel. Other clients include Bauer Digital Radio and the Postcode Lottery.

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

Led by Colin Massie, Dundas & Wilson CS LLP advised French law firm Taj on the legal structures applied to sports training and development in the UK, for a report requested by the EU Commission.

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

Dundas & Wilson CS LLP’s practice is headed by planning expert Ann Faulds. The team advised Transport Scotland on the delivery of its heavy rail programme, including the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, and on major roads projects such as the M74 project. Trudi Craggs, Michael McAuley and Andy Renton are recommended.