Law Society set to quit Drumsheugh

Published on Sunday 17 February 2008 18:46

THE Law Society of Scotland is poised to quit its historic home in Edinburgh's West End, The Scotsman has learned. Officials are in advanced talks to leave its Georgian townhouse base in Drumsheugh Gardens for modern new premises – although nothing has been announced publicly yet and the Society had hoped to keep the move quiet for now.

A number of relocation options are currently being examined, with the favoured one being moving a short distance to Haymarket.

The Scotsman understands that advanced negotiations have taken place over moving to one of the several new office developments close to Haymarket Station. Three office blocks and two hotels are planned to be created by Tiger Developments on the site of the former Morrison Street Goods Yard, which has been lying empty since the 1960s – and this is thought the most likely site for the new Law Society headquarters. InterContinental plans to operate a landmark 180-room, five-star hotel on the site, while Travelodge will manage a neighbouring 246-room, three-star hotel. In addition, more than 335,000 square feet of office space would be built as part of the plans, acting as a natural expansion to the bustling Exchange financial district – and putting the society closer to an area where many law firms have moved in recent years.

The society, the professional body for Scottish solicitors, has been based at Drumsheugh Gardens since 1968, when it relocated there from The Mound. The Society, which dates back to 1949, is understood to favour being near one of the city's main public transport hubs when it leaves Drumsheigh Gardens.

Among the flaws with the current base at No 26 Drumsheugh Gardens are understood to be the building's "old-fashioned" image, a lack of storage space, and inadequate facilities for visitors. A senior figure in the society told The Scotsman: "On one hand, we will be very sorry to leave such a historic and wonderful building but on the other hand, it is a real rabbit warren with members of the same departments scattered around the building. There are some issues to resolve, but I think most people accept the need to leave Drumsheugh and move into a modern premises."

The Law Society's headquarters is expected to generate significant interest from developers once it goes on the market, as Drumsheugh Gardens has long been one of Edinburgh's most prestigious addresses.

Henry Robson, the society's deputy chief executive, said: "We have been looking at a number of potential locations for some time as we want to move to more new modern premises which offer us an environment with more flexibility which better suits the needs of the organisation. As soon as we have secured suitable premises we will be in a position to make a formal announcement."

The society is in a period of major change, with Douglas Mill, its chief executive, due to step down from day-to-day duties in the near future before leaving permanently in October.

The society has also lost one of its key functions with the creation of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission.

Neil Stevenson, the Society's new head of strategic change, is carrying out a governance review that could lead to significant changes in its internal structure. There have been complaints from lawyers that the society needs to be more of a powerful representative body – possibly more like the BMA is for doctors – especially as it is losing its key function to investigate service complaints. The issues of revamping legal education, standards and alternative business structures are also high up the agenda.