Lawyers in Scotland

AJ Venter

AJ is a partner in the Corporate and M&A team. His practice covers a broad range of UK and cross-border corporate transactions, including private M&A, public takeovers, IPOs, equity fundraisings, joint ventures, complex corporate reorganisations and restructurings and general corporate advisory matters. He acts for a number of quoted and private companies, financial intermediaries and other clients and advises clients across several sectors with a particular focus on financial services.

Burges Salmon LLP

Adam Leszczynski

Adam is a corporate senior associate based in the Thames Valley office. Adam has experience in a range of transactions including acquisitions, disposals, venture and growth capital investment, private equity investment, reorganisations, shareholder investments, private to public re-registrations of companies, share buy backs, conducting legal due diligence as well as general corporate governance. Adam has experience working with investors, management teams and companies, particularly in the manufacturing, tech, media and communications sectors. Adam’s recent experience includes: assisting with the £221 million sale of smart locker technology and field service solutions company Bybox to private equity backer Francisco Partners; assisting with the acquisition of Wax Digital, an independent Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) business by a private equity house; advising LDC on its £16 million investment into national hair salon operator, Rush Hair; advising Downing Ventures and Gresham House Ventures on its combined £8 million investment into Funding Xchange, a FinTech company offering its customers instant access to personalised quotes for business funding; advising Downing Ventures and Foresight Group on its investment into Masters of Pie, a virtual reality and augmented reality software company; advising NVM Private Equity on its £3.1 million investment into Clarilis Limited, a provider of automated solutions software for the legal industry; advising NVM Private Equity on its £2.2 million investment into Mo, a recognition, employee reward and ideas platform; advising NVM Private Equity on its £2 million investment into Duke & Dexter, an award-winning footwear manufacturer; advising Treetops Nurseries on its expansion through a number of acquisitions of other nursery sites; advising the shareholders of Xtrac, a world leader in the design and manufacturer of high performance transmissions for the motorsport and automotive industry, in a buyout deal with Inflexion Private Equity; advising the shareholders of Phabrix Limited, a manufacturer of video and audio broadcast test and measurement instruments, in their exit and sale of shares to Leader Electronics; advising on a company re-registration from private to public limited status, including the UK’s first re-registration of a private Community Interest Company to a Community Interest Public Limited Company; advising company directors in relation to a proposed public offer of investment; and principal advisor on the acquisition of a specialist case management company providing rehabilitation services to clients with severe and complex injuries.

Shoosmiths

Aidan Campbell

Partner

CMS

Ailsa Ritchie

Partner

CMS

Alan Fulton

Partner

CMS

Alan Nelson

Office Managing Partner - Glasgow

CMS

Alan Shanks

Alan is head of the Finance and Projects division in Scotland. He is a banking partner specialising in advising clients on financing in the energy sector, including oilfield services, renewable energy, shipping and related services. Alan acts for a number of major companies and financial institutions in the UK and internationally, with particular experience in MENA and Caspian transactions. Alan was a central figure in the establishment of the firm’s Aberdeen office. He previously led HBJ Gateley's Dubai office.

Addleshaw Goddard

Alasdair McCrone

I am an experienced employment lawyer and have worked for both employer and employee clients across a range of sectors, including Retail, Financial Services, Energy and Tech. I love bringing pragmatic and commercial solutions to the table, engaging with clients' issues from a human perspective to find a solution that works for everyone. Throughout my career, I have worked on matters dealing with a range of employment law issues and regularly advises on all HR and ER issues, including the management of disciplinary, grievance, sickness absence, performance and redundancy processes. Outside of work, you can usually find me attempting to run (unsuccessfully), walking my dog (cocker spaniel) or enjoying a drink in the sun (which, in Glasgow, is infrequent).

Lewis Silkin

Alastair Cowan

Alastair is dual qualified for both Scotland and England/Wales and has helped to drive the department’s expansion plans since joining the firm in 2010, with a formidable reputation as a deal maker and strategic adviser. Acting for an impressive list of clients which includes institutional, private and overseas investors, as well as private property companies, Alastair has extensive experience of the real estate market, particularly investment acquisitions and disposals, student accommodation, asset management and development, such as: Acquisition, subsequent asset management, development and break up of several mixed use portfolios, including a predominantly retail portfolio of 42 properties for £120million, and a predominantly industrial and office portfolio of 20 properties for £60million; Acquisition and development of six separate sites for student accommodation, comprising a cumulative total of well over 1000 studios for Hong Kong and Singaporean regulated funds, managed through a UK based FCA regulated private equity investment house; Acquisition and break up of several cross border residential portfolios, including a portfolio of 1,363 properties for £157million from a major UK high street bank, and a portfolio of 511 units across 18 blocks for in excess of £50million; Asset management of several shopping centres on behalf of both a listed UK REIT and a large private property company; The recent acquisitions of various retail, industrial and office properties in Scotland for an institutional fund for a cumulative total of almost £40m; the disposal of a portfolio of 8 retail parks and properties to a UK institution for in excess of £60m; He is valued for his understanding and commercial awareness of the pressures – he is creative and finds a solution rather than a problem.

Addleshaw Goddard

Alex Lloyd

Alex is a Senior Associate in Shoosmiths’ Thames Valley and London Employment team. Alex joined Shoosmiths on qualification in September 2018 and has been practicing in the team ever since, gaining promotion to Senior Associate in September 2022. He acts for clients of various sizes across a range of sectors (including technology, charities and manufacturing) and is well-versed in all aspects of employment law. Alex’s particular expertise is in Employment Tribunal litigation and has had a great deal of success in representing both employer and employee clients at the Tribunal. Alex has acted on many different types of Tribunal complaints, from simple claims for unlawful deductions from wages to complex disputes relating to whistleblowing and discrimination. Where appropriate, Alex conducts his own advocacy – recent results include successfully defending an unfair dismissal claim and demonstrating that a purported contractor was, in fact, both a worker and an employee. Alex is not afraid to be robust when necessary and has obtained costs awards from the Tribunal in favour of his clients on several occasions. However, Alex provides pragmatic and commercial advice to clients on their best option in all the circumstances and will recommend settlement if appropriate. Alex also uses his Tribunal litigation experience to advise organisations as to the consequences of management decisions, allowing him to give advice that is real world in its application. Clients recognise this in the very clear and calm way that Alex provides his advice. He has an unflappable style which has bought great praise from clients, impressed by his ability to distil complex concepts into readily understood advice, while at the same time remaining calm in challenging situations. Outside of the Tribunal sphere, Alex is adept at supporting employees who have been offered a settlement agreement through what are inevitably very difficult circumstances. He has a proven track record of negotiating improved severance packages (in some cases significantly) for individual clients.

Shoosmiths

Alexis Graham

Alexis is a partner in Dentons’ Glasgow office. She is a member of the Trusts, Estates and Wealth Preservation practice, and has a particular expertise in charity law. Alexis advises high net worth individuals in all aspects of personal estate planning, including wills, powers of attorney, trust formation and administration, succession planning and charity formation. She also advises charity trustees on the ongoing administration of charitable organizations including compliance/regulation and mergers/amalgamations.

Dentons

Alison Gilson

Alison is a corporate partner and head of the firm’s Edinburgh office. She has extensive experience advising on a wide range of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, MBOs, investments, disposals and joint ventures. She also has significant experience advising on shareholder arrangements, group reorganisations and corporate governance matters. Alison acts for clients across a wide range of sectors and has developed particular expertise working with businesses in the healthcare, technology, transport and media sectors. Her transactional experience includes advising: Extreme E, an international racing series that brings off-road electric racing to remote parts of the world to highlight climate change, on a range of corporate matters including the recent strategic investment into Extreme E by Formula E; Electric Sea Racing Limited on its launch of the "E1 Series" and its partnership with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia whose investment will enable them to create the world's first electric powerboat racing championship; national commercial vehicle hire business MV Commercial Limited on various share and business acquisitions and disposals; Sandbox International on edtech acquisitions in Brazil, Spain and the US; digital tech business Engine B on its funding rounds; Carewatch Care Services Limited on a series of acquisitions in Scotland, England and Wales and then on the sale of various divisions in a complex transaction that required the completion of 6 transactions within 4 weeks.

Shoosmiths

Alison Woods

Partner, Co-Head of Employment

CMS

Alistair Drummond

DLA Piper

Allan Leal

DLA Piper

Allan Wernham

Partner

CMS

Amanda Methven

Partner

CMS

Amy Norton

Partner

CMS

Andrew Ley

Andrew is a leading corporate lawyer who focusses on working closely with the entrepreneurial owners and management teams of, and investors in, high growth companies. He leads the firm’s food and drink and capital markets teams in Scotland, providing advice on fundraising, growth by acquisition, strategic relationships, contracts, joint ventures and exits. The exits include public and private company mergers and acquisitions, management buyouts and capital markets flotations. Andrew is a highly pro-active business developer with a track record of creating opportunities for clients and intermediaries. Clients comment ‘Andrew Ley is technically brilliant’ and Andrew has a ‘fantastic capacity to grasp the vitally important aspects of the deal and help parties get the very best outcome possible’.

Addleshaw Goddard

Andrew Orr

Andrew is a partner in the Firm’s Infrastructure and PPP department. Andrew specializes in project finance and major projects. He has considerable experience of infrastructure finance transactions, including PFI/PPP and energy projects, and has advised on many of the UK's significant and pathfinder PPP projects. He regularly advises the public sector, sponsors, funders and contractors on infrastructure projects across a broad range of sectors, including education, energy, health, housing, transport and waste. Andrew is rated as a leading individual for Projects in The Legal 500.

Dentons

Andrew Walker

Andrew is very experienced in general transactional corporate work, including acquisitions, disposals, buyouts and equity investments, and commercial contracts of a wide variety. He also has significant experience advising on intellectual property matters, particularly in the context of deals or commercial contracts, and UK and EU competition law issues. Andrew has a specific interest in assisting high-growth business, often but not exclusively in the technology and food and drink sectors. He has been a key adviser for many years to a global leading provider of wrap platforms for financial and wealth management markets, supporting their national and global growth. Andrew is a Notary Public and Writer to the Signet

Addleshaw Goddard

Andrew Wardrop

DLA Piper

Andrew Warren

Andrew specialises in commercial real estate transactions across a range of classes of property including the office, retail, leisure and industrial sectors for investors occupiers and funders and has over 30 years of experience operating in those sectors. Andrew acts for a number of high profile clients and regularly advises on the Scottish property aspects of cross-border transactions. A selection of notable transactions and matters in which Andrew has been involved are as follows: The Scottish property aspects of the outsourcing of property estate of the Inland Revenue to Mapeley (a Soros/Delancey backed investment vehicle) with a global transactional value of circa £2 billion; The multi-million pound acquisition and subsequent disposal of Cameron Toll Shopping Centre, Edinburgh for a private Irish Investor; The relocation of AMF Bowling to premises at Springfield Quay, Glasgow; The restructuring of the Scottish property portfolio of Little Chef; The property aspects of the Administration of Gretna Football Club; The acquisition of properties in Glasgow and Edinburgh for student accommodation for an offshore fund at a value of circa £30 million; The management and leasing work for Landmark Space Limited (formerly I2 Office Limited) in Scotland; The Scottish property aspects of the refinancing of the student accommodation property portfolio of an offshore fund with a global value exceeding £100 million; Acting for a BVI offshore entity in the acquisition of a Holiday Inn Express branded hotel in Edinburgh from an Administrator for circa £17 million; Acting for a major cinema operator in negotiating an Agreement for Lease and taking a lease as part of a redevelopment of a city centre shopping centre in Glasgow; Acting for a US Funder in agreeing security documentation for provision of funding to the purchaser of a major PRS Scheme at Fountainbridge Edinburgh; Acting for a US Funder in agreeing security documentation for provision of funding to the developer of a speculative build office building in Glasgow; The property aspects of the acquisition of Hillington Industrial Estate Glasgow for a Singaporean investor as part of a cross-border deal with a global value in excess of £650 million; Acting for a UK operator in the acquisition of a riverfront site in Glasgow for development of a hotel; The management and leasing work for Thorntons Limited in Scotland. In his leisure time, Andrew enjoys playing golf and is a member of his local club at Caudwell near Glasgow and also of The St Andrews Golf Club in St Andrews.

Weightmans LLP

Anna Brown

Anna has over 25 years experience acting for a broad range of corporate clients from small technology start-ups to large listed plcs across a broad range of sectors. These include biotech, software and other technologies, energy, infrastructure and real estate, financial service and leisure. Anna undertakes a wide range of corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions, equity funding for businesses, joint ventures, reorganisations and reconstructions. She has particular expertise and has a long track record of successfully floating companies on AIM and the Main Market, secondary fundraisings on market as well as takeovers and schemes of arrangements to take companies private again.Her pragmatic, solutions driven advice is highly valued by clients. Anna is noted by Chambers as "renowned for her work in the infrastructure and technology sectors. She advises several prominent clients in the technology sector on a range of corporate matters".

Addleshaw Goddard