‘A team that is focused on the client’s case. Can move flexibly and quickly. High levels of expertise.’

‘Iain Rutherford  is clever, polished and effective. We had a tricky case and aggressive opponent, and Iain took a very measured approach to strategy and we succeeded in getting the claim against us struck out.’

‘Niall McLean and Jared Oyston are very practical and commercial and don’t waste time on fruitless exercises. They get straight to the nub of the issue.’

‘The team is very highly qualified and experienced in dispute resolution issues.’

‘Craig Watt has been the focal point in all our dealings with Brodies and during resolution of the disputes. He provided sound counsel at all stages to support our decision-making processes and during what became a very stressful situation.’

‘Iain Rutherford and Craig Watt are easy to work with, quick to respond and provide clear, commercial advice. I was most impressed with their speed of response.’

‘I valued that Iain Rutherford got straight to the point and gave clear advice. Craig Watt was extremely responsive and turned drafts and comments very quickly. That is invaluable in a fast-moving dispute.’

‘The team at Burness Paull is made up of a number of partners all of whom have particular specialisms as well as having a strong background in litigation. This is quite unusual in Scotland where you will often find that the litigation teams are made up of individuals who specialise in litigation and rely on their colleagues in other departments for input on specialist issues. This is particularly noticeable in areas such as insolvency and property where the teams who deal with this work are specialists in their own right.’

‘Gary Moffat is the partner at Burness Paull that I deal with most regularly. He combines strong technical knowledge with a keen eye for the commercial issues at play. His case analysis is always spot-on. He knows what the client wants to achieve and focuses on putting together a strategy aimed at achieving that. What also makes Gary stand out is the breadth of knowledge at every level in his team. He clearly puts time and effort into training his team and this means that work can be delegated appropriately without any drop in quality.’

‘We have found the firm to be proactive and have kept the same high level of professionalism during the last year which has been extremely hard on all businesses.’

‘They have been stand-out as we are in the middle of a difficult case and require to speak to them beyond the boundaries of 9-5 and they have accommodated this with no complaints.’

‘Great partner and associate support – responsive and receptive to client needs. Commercially focused advice based on sound legal analysis.’

‘Neil Smith – top notch and very commercial; also very quick in analysis; pinpoints issues immediately.’

‘Very proactive and commercial; highly client-focused on seeking the right business result; honest and frank assessment of case prospects.’

‘Very good communication and the ability to explain things clearly. Always take the time to receive your call and discuss each question/concern.’

‘Alan Sinclair is a terrific litigation lawyer. He is pragmatic, cost aware, realistic as to prospects and has just the right amount of empathy when needed.’

‘Alan Sinclair is one of the smartest, yet down-to-earth lawyers I have met. He is measured and modest but is the litigator who you want to be fighting your corner. Too often litigators take an unnecessarily aggressive approach but Alan doesn’t need to because his style encompasses academic excellence, strategic acumen and commercial sensitivity to resolve disputes as smoothly as possible. He has shown integrity and understanding in delicate circumstances which supported the solicitor/ client relationship in a complex litigation. He is an asset to the team.’

‘We find the team incredibly concise and efficient. We are always provided with what we feel are frank and open responses with clarity of opinion on the matters at hand. This results in us not always being told what we hoped we would hear but certainly in us obtaining great quality advice on the legal matters at hand. Responses are always extremely quickly received and very often this can be out with normal hours which is particularly important to us.’

‘Simon Catto has learned to understand our culture and operates exactly in the manner that suits us.’

‘Joan Devine brings a calm and rational presence to the proceedings. Adept and experienced.’

‘They truly worked in tandem – allocating work between them to ensure the matter was always being conducted at an appropriate level in terms of required expertise and billing.’

‘They have been excellent, truly collegiate and collaborative, and a joy to work with.‘

‘We have had great service from Malcolm Gunnyeon and his team in Aberdeen. They are proactive, professional and thorough which may seem as a basic requirement but is so often missing. We like people who pay attention to and don’t forget the fundamentals.’

‘Malcolm Gunnyeon is very friendly with an ability to connect at a personal level with his clients from the very first meeting. He exudes professional capability and we are most impressed with his ability to grasp the core issues at hand very quickly.’

‘Douglas Blyth is a smart and legally and commercially astute litigator with strong expertise in insolvency.’

‘Dentons’ portal was very useful for uploading and communicating documents quickly. Video conferencing was well resourced and trouble free. Flexibility on billing was helpful. However, Denton’s main stand-out strength is the quality of its people.’

‘Douglas Blyth is highly experienced in assessing the relative strengths and weaknesses in our case/defender’s case and developing an appropriate negotiating strategy.’

‘Douglas Blyth was a very solid man to guide us.’

‘The dispute resolution team at Dentons provides first-class technical advice and support in difficult times. Their advice is thorough but practical and they seek sensible solutions. They are available 24/7 and go above and beyond. ’

‘Douglas Blyth combines an excellent technical knowledge with a supportive and understanding style. He seeks sensible solutions and achieves results.’

‘David Kerr offers logical and succinct responses to counter litigious adversaries.‘

‘A medium-sized law firm that can give a personal service. High competence levels.‘

‘Fiona Pask and Sandy Hastie are both excellent partners. Fiona in particular has a practice that is very broad but she has an expertise in shareholder/ director disputes and is absolutely steadfast in standing up for her clients at every turn.‘

‘An incredibly collaborative, thoughtful team which expertly combines the commercial demands of a case with the intellectual challenges. Excellent on the law and a fantastic team to work with. They really involve themselves in all aspects of the client’s case to understand the challenges, sensitivities, and desired outcome. Led by great partners who are very user-friendly.‘

‘They really work hard for the client, produce work of the highest quality. If you want to optimise the outcome in a particular dispute, this is the team to go to. Serious all-round capabilities with strength-in-depth and a real client-based and goal focused service.‘

‘Strategically clever and savvy, constantly looking to bring a wide range of innovative solutions to a particular case.‘

‘I found the team at Harper Macleod to be diligent, knowledgeable and easy to work with.‘

‘The individuals are personable and approachable. The issues are clearly understood and advice is able to be conveyed effectively and comprehensibly. Greg Flett has been impressive.’

‘They are exceptionally easy to deal with, responsive and experts in their areas.’

‘Greg Flett stands out as an innovator. He is a superb communicator and a committed lawyer.’

‘From my experience to date they have an experienced team who were also well used to instructing and working with outside counsel.’

‘A small, nice, friendly and unique team. Nothing is too much bother. Personal service at the right level. No perception of pushed down the line to a cheaper member of the team.’

‘Sheila Webster is great at explaining legal concepts in a simple and clear way. She also is not afraid to state an opinion and not present a range of options without indicating which ones she thinks are strongest.’

‘Greg Flett and Sheila Webster are knowledgeable and trusted advisors for clients. We value their input.’

‘Greg Flett and Sheila Webster are down to earth and personable – more so than many others.’

‘The team at DLA impressed me with their ability to understand complex engineering issues. They bring solutions to problems and never lose enthusiasm, no matter how long a matter goes on for.’

‘The team is an experienced and commercially minded team with a wide ranging practice. It is well regarded in the Scottish market.’

‘Friendly and easy to get on with.’

‘The ability to communicate well and a down-to-earth approach.’

‘Alastair Drummond brings a level head and years of experience in resolving disputes.’

‘Naomi Pryde is unsurpassable. She is the most resilient, unconquerable, determined and driven lawyers that I know.’

‘Impressive leadership under the formidable Naomi Pryde.’

‘Naomi Pryde is technically excellent and commercially astute, and an excellent leader of the team.’

‘Naomi Pryde is a true star in the Scottish firmament. Poised, enthusiastic, doggedly determined and very persuasive. Knows absolutely everybody.’

‘The DWF team is dynamic and innovative. They are highly attentive both to client needs and to those of the counsel team.’

‘Naomi Pryde is the stand-out individual. I have worked with her on several cases, and she is a 100% litigator. She is always on top of the detail of the case.’

‘Very focused on delivering a top-quality responsive service to clients. They are very keen on ensuring it is the most useful advice for clients’ business needs.’

‘Dual qualified partner-led expertise’.

‘Excellent service to clients. The team has an astute understanding of the law and always has a firm grasp of the factual detail and what it means for the case. All of that said, it always has an eye on the practicalities of the situation.’

‘John Bett – excellent at his job.’

‘There is also good internal structure to the team so that responses to enquiries are very rapid at all levels of the firm.’

‘Cultivate a very close relationship between with clients. This is attested to by the fact that team members have total mastery of the details of both the client’s businesses and legal objectives.’

‘Hugely helpful, approachable, knowledgeable.’

‘Lindsays is a firm with distinct skills in addressing controversial and high-profile issues with both common sense and resolution. They have been at the forefront of litigation in some of the coronavirus litigations and have dealt with these in a manner that commands respect.’

‘I am best acquainted with Brent Haywood, who has shown considerable skill in managing difficult client groups with calm and courtesy. He also command the respect of the court and colleagues.’

‘Good management, responsive and knowledgeable.’

‘Stronachs has a relatively small team but has considerable in-house capability and is a pleasure to work with. I have found them very flexible and capable to work with and always available to assist or prompt where required.’

‘Colin Sandilands is a talented litigator with an ability to really grasp the details of a case. Also a pleasure to work with – very client focused.’

‘Robert McDiarmid is commercial and smart.’

‘They are very clear in what they can and cannot do on your behalf. They are simply very clever in their knowledge of law.’

‘Robert McDiarmid is a very reassuring and pragmatic advisor who tells it like it is.’

‘The team is approachable, commercial, professional and knowledgeable. They are proactive but not trying to up-sell unnecessarily as some other firms might do.’

‘Colin Sandilands is approachable and professional but down to earth so very good to deal with, we consider he offers practical advice which is in the best interests of our company.’

‘Euan McSherry has been exceptional to work with; he made his responses easy to understand and explained things at length.’

‘A relatively small Scottish practice but extremely versatile.’

‘Always available to offer good advice – Ross Webb is a great partner.’

‘The team at Aberdein Considine is a collective of individual skillsets combined together to provide a full service. You have confidence in a team that you know have your best interest at heart. They are also willing to acknowledge where they may have stumbled in the process, and will negotiate fair terms to reflect.’

‘The individuals at Aberdein Considine provide a professional yet friendly service. They have your back and seem to know when to listen and when to lead. Each also gets your business which is important to not waste time.’

‘The team takes a modern approach to providing legal advice and is flexible in terms of billing arrangements and ways of working. This gives it an advantage of some competitors in my opinion.’

‘Euan McSherry is an impressive operator and combines sound advice on dispute resolution with considerable charm and style.’

‘An excellent team which provided us with a great-value service. The team is aware of the commercial pressures we face and often fixes the fee allowing us to accurately budget and make a cost-benefit decision on the action to be taken.’

‘Shoosmiths is a UK-wide firm which has a litigation presence in Edinburgh, but can also draw on specialist expertise from the rest of its UK network. The firm deals with a very broad range of high-quality work.’

‘Stuart Clubb has always impressed me as a an astute and talented litigator with well thought-out advice.’

‘Stuart Clubb is a well-regarded, experienced individual with a sound knowledge of the law and good relationships with clients.’

‘Experienced, knowledgeable and good value for money.’

‘Andrew Foyle really knows his stuff, particularly in banking and debt recovery disputes. A pleasure to work with.’

‘The practice has a good range of work and is experienced in acting for creditors and insolvency practitioners.’