Brodies

Brodies had an excellent year in 2011–12 with double-digit turnover growth marking a return to form for the Edinburgh-headquartered firm.

During 2011–12 the firm also added nine lateral partners, including agricultural specialist Clive Phillips and private client partner Mark Stewart to the firm’s growing Aberdeen office, which launched in March 2011, from Ledingham & Chalmers and Stronachs respectively.

Other investments during the course of the year included the launch of an office in Brussels, led by partners Mark Clough QC and Christine O’Neill, who split their time between Belgium and Scotland and provide advice on EU policy and legislative developments to the firm’s existing Scottish clients.

According to managing partner Bill Drummond, who has led the firm since 1998 and was elected for a sixth term in the role in December 2012, all of the firm’s practice areas apart from employment enjoyed double-digit growth in 2011–12, with financing, particularly on the renewables side, proving to be a strong growth area.

The firm ended 2012 on a high with the hire of of litigation partner Ken MacDonald from Paull & Williamsons and Dundas & Wilson’s non-contentious construction head Alistair McLean. The two hires boosted the firm's partner headcount, which stood at 78 at the end of the 2012 calendar year.