Senior partners at Tods Murray quit to join rival Anderson Strathern

Published on Saturday 6 June 2009 14:23

TWO senior partners have walked out of commercial law firm Tods Murray to join Edinburgh rival Anderson Strathern.

John Biggar, a former chairman of Tods Murray who, up until his resignation, was a partner in the wills, trusts and personal tax department, and John Fulton, a partner in the rural property and business department, are both serving a six month notice period having left the firm last month.

The news comes amid one of the most difficult trading periods in memory for Scotland's legal sector with a slew of firms forced to cut jobs. Conveyancing and corporate finance are among the hardest hit areas because of a collapse in the housing market and a lack of deals being completed.

In recent months, Dundas & Wilson, Scotland's largest law firm, has axed up to 50 positions, while Shepherd and Wedderburn and Brodies have made job cuts. Burness has also parted company with a number of lawyers.

Last night Tods Murray executive partner, David Dunsire, said he was sorry to see Biggar and Fulton go but respected their wishes to "further their careers outside Tods Murray".

He said: "We are always sorry to see people depart. We have put in place measures to ensure continuity of service for our clients. However, the departures create opportunities for others in our successful and respected wills, trusts and personal tax and rural property and business departments. We are also considering whether these moves may create recruitment opportunities."

Anderson Strathern has been one of the few success stories in Scottish law, bucking the trend and proving there is still money to be made by solicitors. The partnership, which was created when two established Edinburgh firms J&F Anderson and Strathern & Blair merged in 1992, has grown revenues by 11 per cent in the first three months of the latest financial year.

This is compared with the same period in 2008 and despite the gloomy outlook for professional services firms.

The firm was bolstered by a string of wins in the public sector for clients which included Scottish Enterprise, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Glasgow School of Art.

The Law Society has warned that it is becoming commonplace for law firms to cut hours and salaries in a bid to overcome the recession, and said the level of redundancies will continue to rise as there is little sign of economic recovery.

It is estimated the number of solicitors practising in Scotland has fallen by around 10 per cent and is encouraging those who have been made redundant to maintain their skills by doing pro-bono work for charities or voluntary organisations.

Legal advisers have pointed out that there are still opportunities in the Scottish market, especially in litigation and renewables.