HBJ Gateley has been hit by a wave of resignations in Scotland in an apparent sign of unrest at the law firm.

However, the firm's senior partner Malcolm McPherson said it is in great shape.

A source told The Herald six partners have resigned from the Glasgow office in moves that will deprive HBJ Gateley of some experienced lawyers. Two have left the Edinburgh office in recent months.

The planned exodus from Glasgow started after a well known name in HBJ Gateley's Scottish business, Alan Stewart, submitted his resignation.

Mr Stewart became head of HBJ Gateley's Glasgow office in 2009 after working as managing partner at Burness and head of legal services at Clydesdale Bank.

In a statement, Mr McPherson said: "Alison Newton joined us as an equity partner from McGrigors in October to lead and grow the Glasgow office."

The other partners who have resigned are litigation specialist Douglas Blyth, Gordon Cunningham who works with private clients, family law experts Sara Matheson and Shona Templeton, and employment lawyer Robert King.

Edinburgh-based Kath Karlin and Kate Dewar also resigned. They specialise in family law and social housing respectively.

Asked to comment on the resignations, HBJ Gateley issued the statement in which Mr McPherson said: "Between now and the middle of the year, a number of non-equity partners are scheduled to leave the firm for a variety of reasons.

"The firm is in excellent shape and we are confident in our continuing ability to provide the same level of excellent service our clients have come to expect."

He added: "We will be announcing a range of new senior hires in the near future, including two new partners in Glasgow and another in Edinburgh."