Harper Macleod appointed to advise Edinburgh Council

Harper Macleod has been appointed to provide commercial and employment law advice on the City of Edinburgh Council legal framework.

Under the appointment, Harper Macleod may provide services in relation to a wide range of commercial legal matters under lot 1, including corporate, commercial contracts, financial services, intellectual property, procurement, information law; and employment law under lot 4.

The contracts, which have an estimated total value of around £1.2 million each year, will run for two years with the option for a further two-year extension. The council’s legal services framework is also available to both Stirling and West Lothian councils.

Harper Macleod’s team advising the council will be led by partners James McMorrow and Lesley Murphy.

Professor Lorne Crerar, chairman of Harper Macleod, said: “This is a fantastic appointment for our firm, which comes so soon after we greatly expanded our own physical presence in the city with new offices.

“Our public sector team has a proven track record of delivering both quality and value in the services we provide, which is why we have been successful in becoming leading advisers to local authorities and many other organisations.

“We look forward to developing strong relationships with all three councils under this appointment as they tackle the challenges facing everyone operating in the public sector over the years ahead.”

City of Edinburgh Council now joins an extensive list of Scottish local authorities and other public sector organisations that the firm advises.

The appointment is the latest in a succession of public sector tender wins for Harper Macleod, which last year was one of only two firms appointed to the panel for all six lots of the new Scottish Government Legal Services Framework.