Professor Lorne Crerar

The firm, which has offices at CityPoint in Haymarket, will provide specialist legal advisory support to the in-house legal teams at CEC, Stirling, West Lothian, East Lothian and Midlothian Councils after being appointed on four lots of the legal services framework, covering commercial advice, property and planning, litigation, and employment law.

Harper Macleod, which has one of the largest public sector teams in Scotland, is currently appointed to act for 24 of the country’s 32 local authorities.

Professor Lorne Crerar CBE, chairman of Harper Macleod, said: “Our team is looking forward to extending the works it does with The City of Edinburgh Council and associated councils under the Framework.

“This appointment speaks volume for the level of service our solicitors provide to our clients and the combination of quality and value that the firm represents.

“We are a trusted adviser to local authorities across the country and look forward to strengthening our relationships with these five councils over the next few years.”

The contract will run for initial two years with the option of a two-year extension, and the overall Framework is worth an estimated total value of £12 million over its lifetime.