Possessing a team of ‘highly capable and committed’ advisers, Gillespie Macandrew LLP provides a wide-ranging offering and is particularly well-positioned to act on the development, regulatory and commercial aspects of renewable projects, particularly in the onshore and offshore space. Land, planning, consenting and regulatory issues continue to be a prominent feature of the firm’s workload. Derek McCulloch spearheads the practice and advises on corporate and commercial instructions, while Amy McDowell is a strong choice for wind projects and covers an array of issues, from crofting work to grid connections. Simon Williams acts on joint ventures, commercial agreements and project developments, and is highly knowledgeable of energy transition and clean tech ventures. Colin Hamilton is recommended for his wind and grid expertise, whereas Rae Gilchrist is noted for her supporting presence across the full range of practice matters.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The team at GM are highly capable, committed and a pleasure to work with.’
‘Colin Hamilton is an extremely calm, confident and capable hand, and a pleasure to work with.'
- 'Derek McCulloch is tenacious and will go above and beyond for his clients.’
‘Gillespie McAndrew is the firm I go to when my clients need Scottish real estate/planning input. I have worked with them over a number of years and they are reliable and do what the client wants.’
‘Simon Williams is my go-to for Scottish real estate input. What I (and clients of mine) like about Simon is his willingness to slot in as part of the team. He is a great example of how lawyers should collaborate to give the client what they are looking for. He has a pragmatic and commercial approach and is personable and builds rapport with client easily.’
‘Pragmatic, initiative, commercial.'
- 'Simon Williams is personable and pragmatic and a good renewables lead. Rae Gilchrist has attention to detail and is always ready to propose a potential legal solution ahead of the client requesting.’
Key clients
- SSE
- Viking Energy
- Seagreen Wind Energy
- Berwick Bank Wind Limited
- Clyde Windfarm (Scotland) Limited
- REG Power
- Innova Renewables
- Eden Sustainable
- Tillicoultry Quarries
- Greentech
Work highlights
- Advising in relation to the Berwick Bank Offshore Wind Farm with planned capacity of up to 4.1GW on onshore land requirements and offshore proximity and crossing agreements in both the Scottish and English onshore connections to grid.
- Acting for Seagreen on phase 1 of what will be one of Scotland’s largest offshore windfarms with potential capacity of 1.075GW to power 1.6 million homes.
- Advising Viking Energy on a full range of aspects for the circa 450MW windfarm development in Shetland.
Lawyers
Next generation partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Derek McCulloch
Other key lawyers
Amy McDowell; Simon Williams; Colin Hamilton; Rae Gilchrist