Scots legal giant Shepherd and Wedderburn unveils string of senior promotions

The new partners are Alison Rochester (media and technology), Susan Swan (infrastructure), Leigh Herd (property and infrastructure disputes), Stephanie Hepburn (commercial disputes), and Nathaniel Buckingham (property and infrastructure disputes).

Ms Rochester leads the firm's trade and commerce team, focusing on international trade matters and complex commercial contracts, particularly for regulated businesses.

Ms Swan is described as a core member of the firm’s clean energy team, providing advice on grid, regulation and commercial contracts, while Ms Herd joined in 2012, and she specialises in contentious construction, with experience across construction, engineering and major project disputes, and through a variety of dispute-resolution forums. All three trained with the firm.

Ms Hepburn joined Shepherd and Wedderburn in 2014 and focuses on resolving property disputes (with a particular focus on the rural sector), private client disputes and contentious executries, while Mr Buckingham is a chartered civil engineer, who worked for an international consultancy before requalifying in law and now specialising in resolving construction-related disputes for major contractors and employers.

Amie Bain (pensions), Lisa Renwick (English property unit), Daniel Bain (property and infrastructure disputes), Christopher Garden (commercial disputes), Phil Harris (private wealth and tax) and John Townsend (Glasgow property) have been promoted to legal director.

In addition, Gillian Buchanan (Edinburgh/Aberdeen property), Lily Manser (commercial disputes), Katie McNab (rural), Thomas Keenan (banking and finance), Matthew Lamberton (English property unit), and Daniel MacKinnon (Glasgow property) are becoming associates.

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s managing partner Andrew Blain said: “These well-deserved promotions recognise our lawyers’ specialist expertise, their knowledge and understanding of the sectors in which they operate, and their ongoing commitment to building relationships of trust with our clients, supporting them with legal services of the highest quality.”

The firm, which is moving its HQ to the Haymarket Edinburgh development, in August said it had rewarded all its staff with a 5 per cent bonus after the practice returned to profit growth despite the pandemic.