Edinburgh legal firm Brodies commits to further growth with Highlands office launch

Scottish legal heavyweight Brodies has today officially opened its new Highlands and Islands base following a busy year for its clients in the region.
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Over the past 12 months, the firm has worked with businesses, organisations and individuals, including Inverness College, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Lerwick Port Authority and Stornoway Port Authority.

Lawyers acted for clients in the renewable energy sector, including wind farms on Shetland and the Orkney Islands Council community wind farm project, which is worth an estimated £371 million to the local economy.

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In the food and drink sector, Brodies, which is headquartered in Edinburgh, was appointed by the Tomatin Distillery Company to provide legal and commercial advice to support a new market access strategy in the US.

Managing partner Nick Scott: 'With our new office in Inverness, our clients will benefit from greater proximity to our lawyers.'Managing partner Nick Scott: 'With our new office in Inverness, our clients will benefit from greater proximity to our lawyers.'
Managing partner Nick Scott: 'With our new office in Inverness, our clients will benefit from greater proximity to our lawyers.'

The firm’s growing team will continue to support clients from the new Highlands and Islands base, Clava House, in the Cradlehall Business Park in Inverness.

Managing partner Nick Scott said: “We are grateful to our clients in the Highlands and Islands for their continued support and for seeking the advice of our lawyers on new and interesting instructions, as well as their day-to-day business, and personal and family matters.

“With our new office in Inverness, our clients will benefit from greater proximity to our lawyers, offering a state-of-the-art location to meet in person, whilst also providing enhanced technical capabilities that will, amongst other things, support virtual court hearings.

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“We have taken many of the learnings from our new Capital Square office in Edinburgh, and considered them in the fit out of our Inverness office to support and optimise colleague wellbeing. We have created environments that will enhance collaboration between colleagues and clients, as well as supporting flexible working and providing room for us to grow.”

With its new Inverness office, the firm aims to grow from its existing team of a dozen lawyers currently based in the Highlands and Islands. Earlier this year, Highlands-based family and child law specialist Sarah Lilley was promoted to partner.

In July, Brodies revealed that it was closing in on £100m of revenues after racking up a 12th consecutive year of growth.

The firm, which operates out of offices in Aberdeen, Brussels, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and London, reported full-year revenues of £98.5m, up 19.5 per cent from £82.5m the previous year. Operating profit increased from £39m to £46.1m.

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Investment in premises saw more than 380 colleagues move into the firm’s new Edinburgh office, Capital Square, in January 2022. Brodies also opened its London office in the summer of 2021.

Continued investment in people over the 12 months saw headcount increase from 748 to 771 with all eligible colleagues receiving bonuses in May 2021 and January and June of this year. Seven more partners were promoted, bringing total partner numbers on 1 May 2022 to 116.

Scott added: “We begin the 2022/23 financial year inspired by our clients and our colleagues, aware of the challenges but excited by the opportunities ahead, and conscious of our responsibilities as a business and to the communities in which we work.”

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