Legal 500
Edinburgh and Glasgow
Dundas & Wilson
McGrigor Donald
Maclay Murray & Spens
Shepherd & Wedderburn WS
Burness
Semple Fraser WS
Steedman Ramage WS
Tods Murray WS
Archibald Campbell & Harley WS
Brodies
DLA
Fyfe Ireland WS
MacRoberts
Biggart Baillie
McClure Naismith
Chambers
Tom Anderson McGrigor Donald
David Bankier McGrigor Donald
Iain Doran Dundas & Wilson
Robin Garrett Maclay Murray & Spens
Paul Haniford Semple Fraser
Jennifer Johnson Maclay Murray & Spens
Sandy Reid Steedman Ramage
Nicholas Ryden Shepherd & Wedderburn
David Smith Shepherd & Wedderburn
David Steel Dundas & Wilson
Stewart Brymer Thorntons
David Cockburn Archibald Campbell & Harley
Leslie Dalgarno Paull & Williamsons
James Hodge Dundas & Wilson
Iain MacNiven Maclay Murray & Spens
Lionel Most Burness
Ian Quigley Maclay Murray & Spens
David Reid Burness
Donald Shaw Dundas & Wilson
Dale Strachan Brodies
Andrew Wallace Archibald Campbell & Harley
Ian Wattie Burness
When it comes to commercial property, every legal firm under the sun seems to want in on the act, as the depth of the league table shows.
The big two predictably lead the way. Legal 500 depicts Dundas & Wilson as having the lion's share of the institutional market as clients, as well as many of the largest property companies. This is a massive client base, especially as the firm also handles considerable cross-Border work and has recently been advising an international retailer on its world-wide portfolio of more than 400 properties. David Steel is a delight to deal with, Chambers reports, while Iain Doran knows his stuff and knows how to work with people.
Doran attributes his success to the fact that Dundas & Wilson's property group comprises 75 lawyers focused on providing proactive and commercially aware advice. ''This advice is not only in traditional fields such as investment, commercial leasing and shopping centre and general development,'' he explains, ''but also in added value specialist areas like planning, environment, property tax, property litigation and hospitality and leisure.
''As a result, the group has grown larger and faster than other legal providers operating in the sector. Increasingly, clients are looking to our capability to provide integrated professional solutions internationally with the back-up of the rest of the Andersen Legal network and Arthur Andersen's global real estate practice which have around 3000 professionals in real estate tax, real estate consulting and business risk management.''
McGrigor Donald has strengthened its operation by opening a Belfast office. Among 15 partners in its UK property unit are Tom Anderson (a first rate commercial player, says Legal 500) and David Bankier, described by Chambers as good technically and has a commercial edge as well.
Anderson, now working on the Glasgow Harbour scheme involving Clydeport and Bank of Scotland, says: ''MGD's commercial property team is unique. It is pan-UK, located in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and Belfast. It has specialists who deal with all aspects of property, joint venture work, corporate and banking as well as property.
''Those features enable us to carry out involved transactions in a seamless and efficient fashion which eliminates the need to sub-instruct English or Irish lawyers and reduces the number required to finalise transactions. The result benefits our clients and lines of communication are shorter and there are efficiencies of cost.''
The number of property partners at Maclay Murray & Spens rose from 11 to 17 during 1999. Among its most important instructions over that period was to represent Friends First UK Commercial Property Ltd in the acquisition of 80 properties in England and Scotland. Department head Jennifer Johnson, according to Chambers, received considerable praise for having built up an extremely good practice, while Robin Garrett was sound and well respected.
Shepherd & Wedderburn's Glasgow practice has attracted major new clients like Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise Glasgow. According to Legal 500, the firm has been heavily involved in aspects of securitisation as investors/developers look to refine methods of investment. David Smith is said by Chambers to have an extremely good name, Nicholas Ryden to be an aggressive lawyer but clients patently love him.
Burness has, says Legal 500, brought its capital projects, construction, planning and environmental practices under the umbrella of the property department to create an integrated team led by the much admired Ian Wattie. The unit has also benefited by the return to full-time property work of managing partner Ken Ross. In its new guise the team continues, according to Chambers, to concentrate on its key areas of development, retail/leisure, investment and property finance.
Semple Fraser has attracted Halifax plc as a new client through its reputation for doing deals quickly. With 28 fee-earners dedicated to commercial property work, the firm acted on the lease for Halifax's new Internet bank, Intelligent Finance, at South Gyle in Edinburgh. Chambers, maintaining that market opinion suggests they're on the way up, describes Paul Haniford as good at getting business.
Legal 500 portrays retail property work as an important element of Steedman Ramage WS's 10-partner practice, an example being the firm's work for Marks & Spencer in the #186m sale of its interest in the Gyle shopping centre to the Universities Superannuation Scheme. Sandy Reid is said by Chambers to be outstanding and a good technician.
Other firms which earn a commendation include Tods Murray, whose commercial property arm expanded to 37 fee earners and acted for Clerical Medical Investment Group in the purchase of the Summit Centre at Finnieston, Glasgow; Brodies, which has considerable firepower and includes GKN, John Menzies and British Steel among its clients; DLA (formerly Bird Semple), which acted on the development and letting of the Braehead Shopping Centre, plus the St Andrews Square development in Edinburgh; and MacRoberts eight-partner practice, which is complemented by the firm's strength in construction and PFI work and acted for West Lothian Council on five joint venture mixed developments.
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