ONE of Scotland's biggest independent law firms is to have a new managing partner for the first time since 2018.
Brodies has announced that Stephen Goldie has been elected as successor to Nick Scott, who will step down when his second term of office comes to an end in April 2024.
Mr Scott, who joined Brodies in 1999 after a traineeship at Clifford Chance in London, has also decided to retire from the partnership and the law. He became a partner at Brodies in 2001 and went on to spend 20 years in management roles at the firm, overseeing the opening of new offices in Abu Dhabi, London, and Inverness and steering it through the challenges of the pandemic.
The firm, which now has more than 100 partners and 800 members of staff, became the first Scottish-based law firm to report annual income of more than £100 million, which it recorded in the year ended April 30, 2023. Operating profit climbed by 6% to £46.1m from £48.6m during the period.
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Mr Goldie has been with Brodies for nearly as long as Mr Scott. He joined the firm in 2002, was made a partner in 2007, and in 2016 became area leader for the firm’s litigation practice. Brodies said his leadership of the practice has seen it grow revenue strongly, expand the skills it offers, and develop work outside Scotland into the rest of the UK and beyond.
In other appointments announced by the firm today, partner Louise Shiels will step up to lead the firm’s disputes practice, and Marion MacInnes will succeed Bruce Stephen as practice area leader for banking and finance.
Mr Scott said: "That I have made the decision to step away from Brodies, and the law, is entirely personal and positive. In the last 32 years I have worked with clients and colleagues who have shaped my career and inspired and guided me. I now plan to spend time doing some of the things which I haven’t been able to do whilst my priority has been our firm and its people.
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"I am extremely proud of what our partners and our colleagues have achieved and the work that they have delivered on behalf of our clients. For all of the external marks of our progress, we count the way we look after our colleagues as the most important measure of business success.
"I know that under Stephen's leadership, that progress will continue. His focus on our colleagues, and his experience as a practice area leader, is something he can bring immediately to his new role as managing partner when his term commences in May next year. In Louise and Marion, and our wider leadership team, we have a wealth of talent and experience to shape the future of the firm."
Mr Goldie, managing partner elect, said: "To be able to follow in Nick's footsteps and have the opportunity to lead such talented colleagues as we commence our 2024- 2027 strategic plans is a privilege. The progress that we have made as a firm under Nick's leadership has been exceptional. His vision and unrelenting optimism through periods of tumult, have become enduring qualities of our firm and its people, combined with our commitment to deliver excellent legal services for our clients."
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Brodies’ chair, Christine O'Neill KC, noted: "In overseeing the elections for our new managing partner, I am confident that Stephen will continue to build on the progress made under Nick's leadership in which he has guided our firm and supported our colleagues and clients through unprecedented times.
"As we prepare to implement our plans for our 2024- 2027 strategic period, clients and colleagues alike will benefit from Stephen's ambition and enthusiasm and in the skill and experience that Louise and Marion will bring to their respective practice areas. Those plans are full of confidence, speaking of practice areas and business services teams that are excited by the opportunities ahead, and aware of changes that are to come."
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