Scottish Legal Review Briefing: Aberdein Considine

The past 12 months have been a busy and productive time for Aberdein Considine as we continue to grow and expand.

Current challenges for smaller firms in the Scottish legal sector present an opportunity for medium-sized firms such as ours, that can continue to deliver results-driven, expert partner-led services at a fair pricing point.

While smaller firms grapple with succession, costs of compliance, digitalisation, automation, marketing and sector specialisation, medium-sized firms are well-placed to take advantage of opportunities for work in a different space from the one that the “Magic Circle” or big firms operate in.

Areas we’ve been busiest in during 2024 include secured and unsecured debt recovery work, which we’ve seen a significant uplift in on a UK level.

To meet client need for expert advice on lifetime planning in a radically changing political and taxation landscape, we have proactively invested in our Private Client team and legal services in general. With the Autumn Budget changes to business relief, agricultural property relief on Inheritance Tax, inherited pensions, and Capital Gains Tax, we will have continued focus on this area.

We are also continuing our sector and jurisdiction expansion, investing in our Commercial Real Estate England and Wales team, opening our first office in Manchester.

Looking ahead, we see reasons for optimism in the residential property market with likely interest rate cuts boosting buyer confidence. Demand for specialist wealth management and private client services will continue. And in the North-East there are undoubted opportunities for specialists in the green energy sector.

More generally, further development and investment in AI will allow us to increase efficiency and productivity by optimising repetitive processes and eliminating bottlenecks. This, in turn, will enable us to focus on proactive engagement, and advice to clients will be an area of focus.

As we head into 2025, our firm of highly talented professionals are well-positioned to harness these and other opportunities, to make sure we continue to deliver an excellent service to our clients, supporting them through key life and business milestones, and challenges.