DLA loses Scotland restructuring head in wake of Glasgow closure

It is understood that Brady will join the firm with her colleagues Fiona McKerrell and John Gallacher, both of whom are partners. McKerrell, who worked alongside Brady at Dundas & Wilson before joining DLA Piper, told The Lawyer that she was unable to comment.

Earlier this year DLA Piper confirmed that its Glasgow office would shut before the firm’s financial year-end on 30 April (24 January 2013). It was initially anticipated that the Glasgow office’s 10 partners would relocate to the firm’s Edinburgh office, where there are around 30 jobs available for fee-earners and staff. It is not yet known if any associates or other partners are considering leaving the firm as a result of the closure.

The firm announced in November that it had put 251 staff into redundancy consultation following a review of its domestic business (13 November 2012). It is one of the UK legal market’s biggest rounds of lay-offs since 2008.

“Our collective consultation has concluded and we can confirm that we’ll be closing our Glasgow office, divesting our defendant insurance practice and consolidating our current multi-site document production unit,” said a spokesperson for DLA Piper at the time.

Earlier last year HBJ Gateley hired corporate recovery specialists Craig Darling and Tim Cooper from Dundas & Wilson and Squire Sanders, respectively, and real estate expert Caroline James from Tods Murray. The three new additions (14 February 2012) followed the hire of Alison Newton from McGrigors in October 2011 to lead the firm’s Glasgow office.

“The firm’s in a good position to build on growth over the last 12 months and we’ve always taken the view that having the right people in place is an absolutely critical aspect of that,” commented Newton at the time.

HBJ Gateley said it would not comment on the DLA Piper hires.