Ian McCann, previously with CMS has joined the Edinburgh office as a construction partner while Lyndsey O’Connor has joined the Glasgow office as a real estate partner from Dentons. Lauren Miller, who joined the Glasgow office as a legal director from Shepherd and Wedderburn last year, has been promoted to real estate partner with effect from 1 May.

Mr McCann has almost 20 years of experience in non-contentious construction law, advising local authorities, developers, purchasers, funders and tenants in both the public and private sectors. His specialties include drafting and negotiating building and engineering contracts, professional consultant appointments, collateral warranties, bonds and guarantees. 

Ms O’Connor is an experienced commercial property lawyer and has expertise in the BTR (build to rent) arena, having acted for a number of years for some major players in this sector and acquiring and financing in excess of 100 sites for build to rent development. Recent success includes leading on the award winning £150m sale of a portfolio of 15 completed and let build to rent sites to Goldman Sachs. 

Ms Miller is a real estate lawyer with over 15 years’ experience across the spectrum of commercial property work. In addition to her specialism in residential development acting for housebuilders and landowners, she also has extensive experience of buying and selling investment properties and acting for developers in all types of commercial property development as well as for landlords and tenants. 

Janette Speed, head of Shoosmiths Scotland, said: “I am delighted to welcome Lyndsey and Ian to Shoosmiths and congratulate Lauren for her well deserved appointment to partnership. This trio of latest senior appointments is further evidence of our investment in top class legal talent as Shoosmiths’ continues to focus on delivering premium legal services in Scotland.”

“From a real estate perspective, this also underlines our growing stable of blue-chip clients in Scotland alongside Shoosmiths’ formidable UK-wide credentials in the Living Sector. This includes advising on residential development and investment, student accommodation  (PBSA), traditional residential new-builds, plot sales, Build to Rent (BTR) and Private Rented Sector (PRS).”