Law firm Burness Paull strengthens public law and regulatory arm with senior hire

Scottish legal firm Burness Paull has announced the appointment of Richard Lockhart, describing him as one of Scotland’s leading public law and net-zero policy development experts.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

He brings “significant” expertise advising on the interface between the public and private sectors in complex commercial contracts, particularly around originating, developing and delivering infrastructure models, programmes and projects, according to the organisation.

It added that his appointment reinforces Burness Paull’s focus on the strategic growth of its public law and regulatory division, which launched in 2020, and regularly represents national governments and regulatory bodies as well as many major Scottish, UK and international businesses on both contentious and non-contentious public law and regulatory matters.

Read More
Law firm Burness Paull posts jump in annual income after 'rapid response' to Cov...
Mr Lockhart is praised for his 'deep experience and expertise in advising decision-makers across key sectors'. Picture: contributed.Mr Lockhart is praised for his 'deep experience and expertise in advising decision-makers across key sectors'. Picture: contributed.
Mr Lockhart is praised for his 'deep experience and expertise in advising decision-makers across key sectors'. Picture: contributed.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Lockhart was previously general counsel of the Scottish Futures Trust, which specialises in public sector infrastructure, and he was legal and commercial lead in its net-zero team.

Burness Paull chair Peter Lawson said: “The United Kingdom and Scotland have been through a period of significant constitutional development in recent years.

“There will continue to be a need for unprecedented government and state intervention in industry and private business as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic for some time, and many areas of law are under major review, including procurement, subsidy control and [General Data Protection Regulation].

“We need to ensure we have the best legal talent in place to support clients through business-critical public law issues in the face of major political, economic and environmental change.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Richard’s deep experience and expertise in advising decision-makers across key sectors including energy and environment; health; education; urban regeneration and transport, perfectly complements the existing skills within the Burness Paull public law and regulatory division and the wider firm.

“In addition, the combination of talent and experience we have of advising on devolution and the Scottish independence and Brexit referendums allows us to offer a unique skillset to clients requiring legal and strategic advice on changes in legislation and policies.”

The appointment comes after Burness Paull in October said it had signed up to eco tech firm Pawprint, which says it helps businesses to unite, engage and support their employees in tackling climate change.

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.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.