Huge increase in Legal 500 rankings for Harper Macleod teams and lawyers

The firm saw its number of recommended lawyers almost double to 43, while a 30 per cent increase in the number of specialist areas the firm is ranked in took this figure to 34. Harper Macleod also retained or improved every area in which it was already ranked.

as well as the eight new ranking specialisms (agriculture & estates, charities & not-for-profit, education, environment, family, franchising, intellectual property and medical negligence) the firm also rose up the rankings in eight other areas (corporate & commercial, banking & finance, professional negligence, personal tax, trusts & executries, health, local government, parliamentary & public affairs, and commercial property).

Harper Macleod is also top-ranked in three areas, sport, social housing and debt recovery, and has three partners listed in the elite “Leading lawyers” list – Rod McKenzie for commercial litigation; Gordon Hollerin for insolvency and corporate recovery; and Bruce Caldow for sport.

Professor Lorne Crerar, chairman of Harper Macleod, said: “To achieve such recognition of our high standards across the board, from an independent organisation such as Legal 500, is a tremendous statement about the firm. The breadth and quality of the services we now offer is exceptional, and these ranking are also testament to the fact that our people are driven to keep on improving – we’ve never rested on our laurels and we’re not about to start doing so now.”

Harper Macleod’s corporate team, already widely recognised as among Scotland’s top dealmakers, had four new recommended lawyers - Chris Kerr, Scott Kerr, Stephen Chan, and Craig McKerracher – with the corporate & commercial team ranked in tier 2.

Four partners made an entry in commercial litigation - E-Ming Fong, John McHugh, Suzanne McGarrigle and Jennifer Jack – while the banking & finance team now has partner Jacqui Fraser among its recommended lawyers.

The tier 2 ranked commercial property has team John Meehan, Philip Sim and David Bell all recommended, and the firm’s strength in depth in energy & natural resources was reinforced with Omar Ali, Chris Dowle and Philip Sim joining the recommended list.

The firm’s family law team was ranked for the first time, with Amanda Masson and Jenny Smith recommended, while franchising also made its debut in the UK-wide ranking with partner David Kaye recommended.

Harper Macleod’s personal tax, trust and executries practice was ranked for the first time, with Pamela Niven and Richard Murray earning a special mention, while Peter Ferguson was recommended as the firm was newly ranked in tier 2 for environment.

The insurance team was also ranked in medical negligence, Douglas Cowan featuring individually, along with Elizabeth Mitchell for personal injury (defender) and Elaine Russell for personal injury (pursuer).

Other newly recommended lawyers included Scott Milligan for employment, Professor Robert Rennie for professional negligence and Graeme Nisbet for agriculture & estates.