Harper Macleod Strengthens Public Sector and Housing Expertise With New Practice Groups

Harper Macleod LLP is continuing to build on its reputation as one of Scotlands fastest growing and most innovative commercial law firms with the restructuring of its public sector legal teams to form three new Practice Groups; Infrastructure & Project Finance, Social Housing & Community Development and Charities & Social Enterprise. 

The new Groups have been created in recognition of the firms existing expertise in these areas and in response to increased demand for services in these sectors. 

Harper Macleod was the first Scottish law firm to anticipate the evolution of the social housing sector and to develop a specialism in social housing law in 1993.  Recently named Public Sector Firm of the Year in the Law Awards of Scotland 2004, Harper Macleod is consistently rated in the top tier of leading Scottish social housing firms and has acted in some 30 Large Scale Voluntary Transfers involving over 180,000 houses.    The new Social Housing & Community Development and Charities & Social Enterprise Practice Groups recognise the firms significant expertise in the housing sector and the increased emphasis on regeneration, social inclusion and charity reform.

With the recent appointment of Dr Norman Oliver as a PFI and Projects Partner, Harper Macleod now benefits from the expertise of one of Scotlands leading lawyers in the field of large scale infrastructure projects. Coupled with Harper Macleods enviable reputation in working with transport, local and national government and public-private consortiums, the firm is now well-placed to develop its expertise further under the umbrella of the new Infrastructure & Project Finance Practice Group.

Harper Macleod received an unprecedented five awards in the recent Law Awards of Scotland 2004, including Public Sector Law Firm of the Year.

Managing Partner, Professor Lorne Crerar commented; "Harper Macleod was the first firm in Scotland to adopt a Practice Group structure and it is the backbone of our culture, as it allows junior lawyers to develop their communication and business skills.  We continue to be innovative in our approach to the law and the restructuring of our legal terms into three new Practice Groups consolidates the firms expertise in housing, charity and project work."