Euan Pirie > Harper Macleod LLP > Edinburgh, United Kingdom > Lawyer Profile

Praised for its ‘excellent knowledge and experience of public sector issues’, Harper Macleod LLP handles a wide range of project, employment, and governance matters for local authority clients. Commercial contracts and regulatory specialist James McMorrow jointly spearheads the team alongside Jennifer Jack, who leads on judicial reviews and disputes against regulatory bodies, in addition to representing local councils in major public inquiries. Partner Fiona Killen joined from Burness Paull LLP in June 2023, focusing on governance and constitutional advice and statutory appeals before the UK courts. Euan Pirie advises on high-profile procurements and engineering matters.

With a focus on affordable homes, civil and engineering contracts, sustainable projects, and disputes, Harper Macleod LLP’s construction and engineering group is under the joint leadership of Michael Conroy, Euan Pirie, and Laura McCorquodale. Conroy’s practice includes a mixture of transactional and contentious matters, advising developers, contractors, funders, and claims consultants. Pirie supports both public and private sector clients, with extensive experience in procurement and contract negotiation. McCorquodale is a skilled commercial litigator who handles payment disputes, defects, and professional negligence claims against construction professionals.

Praised for its ‘extremely professional’ service, Harper Macleod LLP is renowned for its extensive work with registered social landlords (RSLs). The dedicated housing team also acts for the Scottish Government, local authorities, and a range of private sector bodies. The group is under the joint leadership of Derek Hogg, who provides governance, constitutional and funding advice, and James McMorrow, who is experienced in corporate, regulatory, and public procurement matters. Collette Miller regularly supports RSLs with tenancy issues, shared ownership matters, and boundary disagreements. Euan Pirie concentrates on the construction aspects of new-build housing projects, and David McIndoe brings expertise in shared equity schemes.

Harper Macleod LLP handles a diverse stream of infrastructure-related instructions, and has recently seen an uptick in healthcare mandates, with the firm advising across all aspects of NHS projects, from new-build to operational issues. The team also frequently engages with marquee ventures, such as the Aberdeen City Vision Project and the Inverness and Cromarty Green Freeport. Group lead Euan Pirie is widely lauded as ‘extremely knowledgeable in this subject area and very connected to current industry thinking’; he has established strength in contract negotiation regarding large-scale, multifaceted developments. Catriona Kemp spearheads a number of project finance matters, while also playing a crucial part in firm’s wider PFI/PPP and secondary market instructions.

Harper Macleod LLP is well positioned in the market to advise on maritime and shipping mandates, with a particular focus on port and harbour developments, financings and investments. The firm’s cross-disciplinary team attracts instructions from a host of government and local authorities, financial institutions, underwriters, and industry players. Tony Cameron helms the practice and has a wide corporate and commercial remit that encompasses the entire marine sector. Co-head Chris Kerr is largely focused on corporate matters and has recently advised on port investments and shipping and logistics acquisitions. James McMorrow specialises in subsidy control and procurement issues, whereas Ricardo Matteo is the go-to name in the team for financing instructions, and Euan Pirie is a PFI/PPP expert.