Dickson Minto scores shock first place as Scottish Firm of the Year

In a peer poll of Scotland's solicitors conducted by business magazine Unlimited, 634 people named the 15-partner firm as their firm of the year.
Dickson Minto's fee income was £18.5m for the last financial year, only half of the £34.6m brought in by McGrigors, Scotland's largest firm. McGrigors came second in the poll with 633 votes, losing to Dickson Minto by just one vote. Lagging behind in third place was Shepherd & Wedderburn with 467 votes. Maclay Murray came fourth with 434 votes, while Dundas & Wilson and MacRoberts came joint fifth with 300 votes apiece.
Even though Dickson Minto only won by a whisker, Unlimited's editor Gordon Young was surprised by the results. "I have to say, it was a bit of a surprise if you look at firms in terms of financial revenue. But it shows that Dickson Minto has a very strong character in the market," he said.
Dickson Minto managing partner Bruce Minto was also named Legal Personality of the Year in the poll.
Dickson Minto banking partner Colin McHale was also surprised by the win. "I'm surprised we won because we're not a full-service firm," he said.
When asked whether the firm hoped that the Scottish Legal Firm of the Year award would attract new clients, McHale said: "We're certainly not a firm that seeks out publicity because we believe most of our work comes from personal reference."

Award winners
Scottish Law Firm of the Year	Dickson Minto
Legal Personality of the Year	Bruce Minto, Dickson Minto
Leading Scottish Firm for Banking and Finance	Dundas & Wilson
Leading Scottish Firm for Commercial Litigation	Brodies
Leading Scottish Firm for Commercial Property	Shepherd & Wedderburn
Leading Scottish Firm for Corporate Work	Dundas & Wilson
Leading Scottish Firm for Private Clients	Turcan Connell
Leading Scottish Firm for Employment	Maclay Murray & Spens
Leading Scottish Firm for EU and Competition	Maclay Murray & Spens
Leading Scottish Firm for IT	Masons
Leading Scottish Firm for Insolvency	Dundas & Wilson
Leading Scottish Firm for Intellectual Property	McGrigor Donald