Law firm TLT has strengthened its rankings in this year’s Chambers UK 2025 in Scotland, including being newly ranked in one new practice area, growing its ranking in two additional areas and two of its teams securing tier 1 rankings.
TLT was newly ranked in Construction following an exceptional year for the firm’s Scotland-based construction team led by partner Stacey Cassidy.
In the last year, the team has acted on a number of noteworthy developments in Scotland, placing the team at the cutting-edge of advisory work in the construction sector.
For example, advising a European modular contractor in relation to a private mixed use development in central Edinburgh; advising a health board in relation to day-to-day and strategic matters relative to two major new build facilities; advising a national supermarket chain in relation to construction elements in their Scottish stores.
TLT now has two Band 1 rankings in Scotland. The firm’s licensing team has retained its Band 1 ranking since 2020, reflecting its consistent approach to delivering excellent service to its clients.
TLT’s licensing team is the largest in Scotland and is known for advising a wide range of clients across a number of sectors.
Stephen McGowan, the head of the firm’s Scottish licensing team was recently recognised for his leadership of the team by winning ‘Lawyer of the Year’ at the Scottish Legal Awards.
TLT has also risen to a Band 1 ranking in the Real Estate: up to £10m category, following significant growth in the team as a result of client demand and new panel wins over the past 12 months.
Scottish real estate team has built a reputation for being a go-to advisor supporting businesses across a variety of sectors including future energy; leisure food and drink and retail & consumer good.
The team has also acted for established financial institutions on real estate finance matters.
Exemplifying the scale and depth of work being conducted by TLT’s corporate team in Scotland, the firm has grown its ranking in Corporate / M&A: (Firm).
The Scottish team regularly acts on high-value complex and time critical M&A transactions across Scotland, the UK and internationally, including advising on one of the most significant renewable energy projects in the UK.
This involved advising clean energy development company, ILI Energy Story PLC (ILI) on the completion of the sale of the Red John Pumped Storage Hydro scheme to Statkraft – Europe’s largest producer of renewable power.
The team has also enhanced its expertise in employee ownership with the arrival of partner Douglas Roberts, resulting in a UK-wide Band 2 ranking in the Employee Share Schemes and Incentives: Employee Ownership category.
For example, in 2023, TLT advised on all legal aspects of the creation of an Employee Ownership Trust and the sale of all the shares to the trust for Eolas Architects Limited.
Alongside these highlights, TLT was also ranked in Employment and Restructuring / Insolvency. 11 lawyers were recognised in this year’s ranking including Stephen McGowan (Licensing) and Caroline Loudon (Licensing) who secured Band 1 rankings and Ainslie Benzie (Restructuring / Insolvency), Howard Beach (Real Estate) and Joanne Hennessy (Immigration) who moved up a band.
John Paul Sheridan, head of location in Scotland said: “I’m proud to see such strong rankings for our team in Scotland in this year’s Chambers UK rankings.
“The results exemplify the top tier work being conducted across our service lines and practice areas and demonstrate the position we currently hold in the market.
“It’s been another year of growth for the team in Scotland with a number of new lateral hires joining to strengthen our capabilities in corporate, real estate and finance.
“Our success in the Chambers is a testament to the hard-work and dedication of everyone in Scotland, and would not be possible without the ongoing support of our clients.”