Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Shepherd and Wedderburn

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Industry
  
Commercial law

Services
  
Legal advice

Website
  
www.shepwedd.co.uk

Area served
  
Scotland and UK

Revenue
  
£53m (2016)

Founded
  
Edinburgh, 1922

Shepherd and Wedderburn httpsrescloudinarycomlbresearchimageupload

Type
  
Limited liability partnership

Headquarters
  
Edinburgh (HQ), Glasgow, Aberdeen and London

Founders
  
Joseph Wedderburn, Alfred Shepherd

Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP is a leading commercial law firm, headquartered in Edinburgh, with offices in Glasgow, Aberdeen and London.

Contents

The firm delivers multi-jurisdictional legal advice across every business sector, as well as private client and wealth management services. Among its clients are FTSE 100 blue-chips, AIM companies, large SMEs and public service organisations.

In 2014, Shepherd and Wedderburn was listed in The Lawyer UK 200 as the fifty-ninth largest firm in the UK and is classed as one of the regional heavyweights for Scotland by independent legal directory Legal 500.

History

The firm came into being in 1922 when Joseph Wedderburn of Carment Wedderburn & Watson WS entered a partnership with Alfred Shepherd of Guild & Shepherd WS.

The acquisition of Scottish IFA firm Muirfield in October 2012 saw the launch of Shepherd and Wedderburn’s independent financial adviser practice, known today as Shepherd and Wedderburn Financial.

In October 2014, Shepherd and Wedderburn acquired 158-year-old Scottish law firm Tods Murray out of administration. The firm now has a total headcount of 500, including 79 partners.

Shepherd and Wedderburn's Chief Executive Stephen Gibb was appointed in May 2012.

Services

The practice is focused on three key sectors: Energy and Natural Resources, Real Estate and Infrastructure and Financial Services. The firm's specialist lawyers also advise on commercial issues in Food and Drink, Hospitality and Leisure, Pharma and Life Sciences and Public Sector.

It is rated by legal directory Chambers and Partners as a Band 1 firm for Energy & Natural Resources: Renewables & Alternative Energy, Real Estate, Employee Share Schemes & Incentives, Competition Law, Corporate/M&A, Planning, and Restructuring and Insolvency.

The Legal 500 ranks Shepherd and Wedderburn as a first tier firm for Energy (excluding oil and gas), Property Litigation, Corporate and Commercial: EU and Competition, Insolvency and Corporate Recovery, Pensions, Edinburgh and Glasgow Commercial Property, Environment, Planning, Leisure and Hospitality, and Intellectual Property, and as one of the Scotland region's first tier firms.

Financial Performance

In July 2016, Shepherd and Wedderburn announced a third consecutive year of growth. In its latest results for the year ending 30 April 2016, the firm’s revenue grew by more than 11% to £53m with profits increasing by 20% to £21.5m. Solid growth was recorded across the firm’s key sectors, with areas of recent investment also paying dividends.

Throughout 2015, Shepherd and Wedderburn’s corporate team advised on 97 deals with a cumulative value of £5.4bn.

International Work

Shepherd and Wedderburn serves clients in 92 jurisdictions and expanding international revenues account for circa ten per cent of total turnover.

The firm’s international activity is supported by an extensive conference participation programme and global membership networks, such as the Energy Law Group and the Anglo American Real Property Institute (AARPI). Shepherd and Wedderburn is a founding member of the World Services Group, which enables the firm to respond to clients’ needs swiftly and effectively anywhere in the world.

Community

Shepherd and Wedderburn is a founder member of LawWorks Scotland, which has been established to co-ordinate, develop and encourage the provision of pro bono legal services by solicitors in private practice and in-house and university law schools in Scotland. Since August 2011, Shepherd and Wedderburn volunteers have contributed over 1,100 hours and assisted more than 179 Citizens Advice Bureau clients.

The firm is also a member of PRIME, an initiative founded to ensure fair access to quality work experience for school-age students from diverse backgrounds across the UK. Shepherd and Wedderburn provides work experience placements across the legal profession - not solely focused on the role of lawyers, but also functions like Finance, IT, Human Resources, Marketing and Business Development - showing the different career paths available.

Awards

Numerous awards have recognised the achievements of Shepherd and Wedderburn and its lawyers. Recent accolades include:

  • Scottish Renewables’ Young Professionals Green Energy Awards 2015
  • Competition Team of the Year 2014, The Lawyer Awards 2014
  • Pro Bono Award, Scottish Legal Awards 2014
  • Employee Volunteering Team of the Year, Scottish Business in the Community Awards 2013
  • References

    Shepherd and Wedderburn Wikipedia