Brodies partners re-elect managing partner Bill Drummond for seventh consecutive term

Bill Drummond, managing partner of Brodies LLP, has been unanimously re-elected by his partners for a seventh consecutive three-year term. Mr Drummond, who is one of the UK’s longest-serving managing partners, was first elected in 1998 and has been with the firm for 35 years.

Under his stewardship, Brodies has grown from 175 lawyers and staff based at a single office in Edinburgh to 639 colleagues, including 93 Partners and 222 lawyers and other professional advisers, working across four offices in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Brussels.

Over the same period turnover has risen more than seven-fold from £8 million to £57.94m, and profits have increased almost eleven-fold from £2.5m to £27.1m.

Since he was first elected Brodies has improved its range of specialist services and business performance year-on-year. In 2015, Brodies also achieved more top tier ranked practice areas in the independent legal directories than any other law firm in Scotland, and the most lawyers named as “leading individuals”.

In addition to his personal commitment to encouraging Scottish economic growth, including ten years as a board member, and latterly chair, of theScottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI), he has throughout his career at Brodies promoted and overseen initiatives to encourage greater diversity in the legal profession, skills development among young people and charity fundraising activities for good causes, including Brodies’ official charity partner, Maggie’s Centres.

Christine O’Neill, chairman of Brodies, said: “Bill’s longevity as managing partner is a reflection of his considerable achievements over the past 17 years, and the faith that the Partnership places in him to continue to build on Brodies’ success and to maintain an unremitting focus on delivering the high quality and relevant legal services that our clients expect.

“Bill strives continually to improve the service we provide to our clients and to give them the reassurance, through Brodies’ robust financial performance, that they will be able to enjoy a long and fruitful relationship with a world-class independent law firm whose history dates back more than 200 years.

“Bill’s commitment to the training and progression of colleagues across the firm is unrelenting. He has overseen the introduction of a ‘Clear Steer’ framework that sets out a route map for the career development and promotion of lawyers and support staff, and is a valued mentor to lawyers and other colleagues at all stages of their careers.

“Bill has also continued to make a wider contribution to Scottish economic growth through his involvement with SCDI, promoting inward investment and international trade, his ambassadorial role engaging with Corporate Scotland on behalf of the firm, and the creation of hundreds of Scottish jobs through Brodies’ continued expansion.”