The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Northern law companies hailed in national review
Legal 500 covers who does best in different areas of the sector
Three north and north-east firms have been singled out for special praise in an annual review of the UK’s legal market.
The latest edition of the Legal 500, highlighting who does best in different areas of law in Britain, says Aberdein Considine, Ledingham Chalmers and Stronachs are “highly regarded” outside Scotland’s central belt.
All three firms are based in Aberdeen, with Ledingham Chalmers and Stronachs also operating out of Inverness.
Aberdein Considine has branches throughout the north-east, as well as in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, Livingston, Perth and Newcastle.
The report says the Scottish legal market is “as competitive as ever”, representing an “interesting” mix of indigenous Scottish and London-headquartered, international firms.
Pinsent Masons, has “strength throughout the team, the document says, highlighting Pinsent’s role at the heart of Ithaca Energy’s £1 billion takeover by Israel’s Delek Group and also the £87 million flotation of Elgin-based Springfield Properties.
Shepherd and Wedderburn “consistently excels” in headline deals such as the sale of Glenallachie Distillery by Chivas Brothers, while the report says private equity work, including transactions involving Aberdeen-based Aquaterra Energy and Ellonheadquartered brewer BrewDog, is a “particular area of
Piper.
Brodies, Burness Paull, CMS and Pinsent Masons are listed as “tier one” firms for corporate and commercial work outside of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The report also says Burness Paull’s Jamie strength” for DLA Stark has “made a name for himself ” in oil and gas services.
B r o d i e s ’ D o u g l a s Crawford is among “leading individuals”, having led a team of advisers to the shareholders of Aberdeenbased Craig Group on the sale of shipping business North Star to Basalt Infrastructure Partners – “one of the biggest M&A (mergers and acquisitions) deals in Scotland in 2017”.
Mr Crawford was also lead adviser to John Lawrie (Aberdeen) shareholders in a management buyout of the firm. based on a competent person’s report published in November 2017, but subsequent mapping and analysis have led to the upgrade.
The previously submitted FDP envisaged a staged, two-well development focused solely on the Liberator field, within Block 13/23d.
Liberator West, block 13/23c, was obtained in the 30th offshore licensing round.
An appraisal well will be drilled to firm up the current mapping of the field extension.
I3 plans to drill the first production well and appraisal well in summer 2019, followed by an evaluation of the appraisal drilling results to optimise the location of the second development well.
“An appraisal well will be drilled to firm up mapping”