Legal heavyweight Shoosmiths appoints three partners to spearhead Scottish growth

UK legal heavyweight Shoosmiths has unveiled three key Scottish appointments as it looks to further build its presence north of the Border.

Janette Speed, real estate partner and previously head of Edinburgh, has been officially named as the firm’s head of Scotland.

Alison Gilson, head of corporate for Shoosmiths in Scotland, is now also head of the Edinburgh office, while real estate partner Barry McKeown has been confirmed as the head of the firm’s Glasgow operation.

The latter appointment comes as the firm prepares to open a major office space within The Garment Factory in Glasgow’s business and innovation district.

Barry McKeown, real estate partner and appointed head of the Glasgow office for Shoosmiths, and Alison Gilson, corporate partner and appointed head of Shoosmiths’ Edinburgh office. Picture: Peter Sandground

The key appointments come in a year when Shoosmiths’ recorded a strong financial performance. Annual revenue was up 9 per cent year-on-year to £167.9 million, net profit rose 31 per cent to £55.4m and profit per equity partner (PEP) jumped 41 per cent to £658,000.

Simon Boss, the firm’s chief executive, said: “Shoosmiths recognises Scotland as an exceptional place for legal talent and also a place many of our clients call home, or have a strong presence.

“Our strategy is to be the top UK law firm famous for client experience. Continuing to drive the success Shoosmiths has enjoyed in Scotland is a key component in delivering on this strategy.

“With our continued investment in Scotland in the form of a new Glasgow office, alongside leadership from Janette, Barry and Alison, I am in no doubt the firm will continue to grow and develop successfully.”

Speed added: “I feel very privileged to be tasked with working closely with Alison and Barry to attract further top tier clients to our business.

“I am thrilled Alison and Barry will now assume responsibility for the fantastic and highly talented legal teams within our respective Edinburgh and Glasgow offices.

“I am confident that their considerable legal experience, excellent client management skills and ability to nurture legal talent within the business will ensure our Scotland operation continues to go from strength to strength.”

The firm’s clients in Scotland include Bellway Homes, Sigma Capital Partners, Robertson Homes, Pernod Ricard, Leapfrog Investments Group and Graham’s The Family Dairy.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription: www.scotsman.com/subscriptions