Challenger law firm moves into Scotland
Challenger law firm Gunnercooke has embarked on a hiring drive after pushing into the Scottish marketplace.
The launch into Edinburgh and Glasgow follows new operations in Birmingham and Berlin in the past six months.
Simon Etchells has been unveiled as the firm’s first appointment at its new Scottish practice, Gunnercooke SCO LLP. The property partner has joined from Dentons in Glasgow with 30 years’ experience in high value investment and development structures.
Gunnercooke was founded in 2010 with an ambition to change the way legal services are delivered. It claims to be the first fee-share model firm to open offices in Scotland.
Over the past decade the firm has signed clients including Johnson Matthey, BAE Systems, Jet2 and Santander. Its model sees its lawyers working remotely, as well as having access to office bases and support teams across the UK.
The new offices are based in Edinburgh’s Wework on George Street and the Garment Factory on Montrose Street in Glasgow.
Etchells said: “I’m hugely looking forward to advancing the Gunnercooke brand in Scotland and welcoming talented Scottish lawyers to the team.
“This is a fantastic addition to the Scottish market, and I am confident that the firm’s modern business model will be attractive to great lawyers and clients alike.”
The firm’s co-founder, Sarah Goulbourne, added: “We plan on recruiting 60 new partners this year and hope many of these will be based in Scotland. There is a fantastic pool of talent across the country.”