Shoosmiths makes three Partner appointments across Edinburgh and Glasgow as it eyes further growth

L to R: Lyndsey O'Connor, Alison Gilson (partner and head of Edinburgh), Janette Speed (partner and head of Scotland), Ian McCann, Lauren Miller and Barry McKeown (partner and head of Glasgow). Photo by Peter Sandground Photography

UK-WIDE law firm Shoosmiths has further underlined its commitment to a significant growth strategy in Scotland with the news of the appointment of three further partners across its real estate teams in Glasgow and Edinburgh.  

Ian McCann, previously with CMS has joined the Edinburgh office as a construction partner while Lyndsey O’Connor has joined the Glasgow office as a real estate partner from Dentons. Lauren Miller, who joined the Glasgow office as a legal director from Shepherd and Wedderburn last year, has been promoted to real estate partner with effect from 1 May.

These high calibre appointments mean Shoosmiths has now made seven senior hires (partner, legal director and senior associate) across its Glasgow and Edinburgh offices in the past few months. In February it included the onboarding of legal directors Simon Dawes (real estate) and Calum Stacey (commercial).  

McCann will offer clients almost 20 years of experience in non-contentious construction law, advising local authorities, developers, purchasers, funders and tenants in both the public and private sectors. His specialties include drafting and negotiating building and engineering contracts, professional consultant appointments, collateral warranties, bonds and guarantees.  He has worked on some of the highest profile projects in Scotland, including on St James Centre, Edinburgh. 

Dual-qualified, O’Connor is an excellent addition to Shoosmith’s award winning UK wide Living Sector team. She is a highly experienced commercial property lawyer, who has sector leading expertise in the BTR (build to rent) arena, having acted for a number of years for some major players in this sector and acquiring and financing in excess of 100 sites for build to rent development. Recent success includes leading on the award winning £150m sale of a portfolio of 15 completed and let build to rent sites to Goldman Sachs. She also has depth of experience, having worked across a diverse portfolio of sales and purchases of developments, leases, associated lease management transactions and finance projects, advising investment purchasers, developers, retail and industrial tenants. 

Miller’s promotion to partner underlines her impressive credentials within the competitive real estate space, including the invaluable insight she can offer clients in the housebuilding and residential development sectors. Miller (also dual qualified) is a real estate lawyer with over 15 years’ experience across the spectrum of commercial property work. In addition to her specialism in residential development acting for housebuilders and landowners, she also has extensive experience of buying and selling investment properties and acting for developers in all types of commercial property development (including waste to energy and other forms of renewable energy developments), as well as for landlords and tenants. 

Janette Speed, Head of Shoosmiths Scotland, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Lyndsey and Ian to Shoosmiths and congratulate Lauren for her well deserved appointment to partnership. This trio of latest senior appointments is further evidence of our investment in top class legal talent as Shoosmiths’ continues to focus on delivering premium legal services in Scotland.”

“From a real estate perspective, this also underlines our growing stable of blue-chip clients in Scotland alongside Shoosmiths’ formidable UK-wide credentials in the Living Sector. This includes advising on residential development and investment, student accommodation  (PBSA), traditional residential new-builds, plot sales, Build to Rent (BTR) and Private Rented Sector (PRS).” 

Earlier this year Shoosmiths was appointed to Lovell Partnerships Limited (Lovell) legal services and plot sales panels in Scotland, England and Wales. Late last year, it was also the only firm to secure a place on housebuilder Taylor Wimpey’s legal roster in England and Wales and Scotland, providing legal support on matters including core real estate, planning, strategic land, construction and regulatory. 

Real estate clients in Scotland include Bellway, Keepmoat Homes, Sigma Capital Partners, Robertson Residential Group, ETEL Group, Euro Garages, Robertson Property and Watkin Jones. 

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