No dispute over success of Burness after 30% boost

Business Editor, Sunday Herald

Sunday 2 September 2012

An upsurge in commercial work – including acting for Rangers' creditor Ticketus – has given a 30% revenue boost to the dispute resolution unit of lawyers Burness.

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Lawyers cash in on conflicts Business Editor Colin Donald

New figures released by the Glasgow and Edinburgh-based firm show revenue generated by its expanded 27-strong team of specialised litigators growing from £2.8 million to over £4m last year, far outpacing the recovery of Scotland's legal sector after a wave of lay-offs and consolidations.

A spokesman for the Law Society, whose own indicator shows Scottish legal earnings in 2011 still 2% below their 2006 peak, hailed the growth as "impressive", adding it "showed that there is still high-quality legal work to be done in Scotland for firms that find the right model". Burness's overall earnings are up by 4% to £24.3m in 2011-12, with profits increasing by 6%, despite what chairman Philip Rodney called "a challenging year across the legal sector."Burness has ascribed the growth in the specialised dispute resolution field to the team's ability to capture market share from rivals by projecting ability to empathise with clients and promoting specialist capability among litigators, including training courses by Scotland's leading mediation coach, John Sturrock QC. Colin Hulme, right, the Burness partner who heads the firm's dispute resolution unit, claimed his department billed in one month last year the same amount that it billed annually 10 years ago. Hulme said: "The litigation boom predicted with the onset of the recession never happened. We have secured this growth through an unwavering focus on client objectives, which means always ask the client, "what does success look like for you?"."Different approaches are needed for different situations. Sometimes a client needs to put their opponent on the canvas, but often they want a solution which enables them to work with them in the future. We can be fighters or lovers dependent on the circumstances."Hulme also cited the firm's strong client-retention figures, and an ability "to pick up a lot of work that might have gone to competitors, at a time when firms are more and more circumspect about how they spend money".He also emphasised the firm's commitment to clarifying costs to clients up-front through early case assessments and a system of fixed fees to "give a clear idea in advance how much the service will cost by breaking down costs into simple and definite elements"."We have banned the phrase 'How long is a piece of string?'" he added. Burness clients include the BBC, Merck, Shell, the Scottish Rugby Union, the Harris Tweed Authority and the Insolvency Service in Scotland. New clients in the last year include Boots, BSkyB and Menzies Aviation as well as work for City-based ticketing agency Ticketus, in connection Rangers' administration.According to an August report to creditors prepared by accountant Duff & Phelps, Ticketus is owed £26.7m by Rangers. Burness also acted for hospitality group Ascott International in a contract dispute with developer Quartermile caused by the disparity in the pre- and post-crash value of a hotel project at the site of the former Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, a change in value worth £10m to Ascott, Burness has 35 partners and employs 200 people across its Edinburgh and Glasgow offices. Along with dispute resolution, core practice areas include property, employment, pensions, construction and technology.

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No dispute over success of Burness after 30% boost

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