World’s largest law firm becomes the first global firm with presence in Bolivia and has locations in 28 countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean region
Dentons has launched its previously announced combination with leading Bolivian law firm, Guevara & Gutierrez, which has 31 lawyers including eight partners, serving clients from the principal financial and commercial centers of La Paz and Santa Cruz. With 34 locations in the Latin America and the Caribbean region, Dentons has now become the first global law firm with a presence in Bolivia. In 2021, Acritas ranked Dentons as the second best-known law firm in the world.
This combination is a result of Dentons’ focus on institutionalizing growth to scale the Firm in priority markets. “We are thrilled to launch Dentons Guevara & Gutierrez,” said Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO of Dentons. “Since first entering the Latin America & the Caribbean region in 2016, Dentons has been recognized as the fastest-growing law firm in the region. Guevara & Gutierrez is a prestigious firm, renowned for its commitment to excellence and innovation and together, we are better positioned to serve our clients within the region and around the world. ”
Dentons Guevara & Gutierrez is a recognized leader in Banking & Finance, Corporate/Commercial, Dispute Resolution, Energy & Natural Resources, Labor & Employment, and Tax. It is now the only global law firm capable of offering clients full-service legal counsel and business solutions in Bolivia – connecting the firm’s clients to top-tier legal talent in 28 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, and 205 locations across 81 countries around the world.
“Our clients continue to look to us to help them navigate the constant, accelerated change they face in this New Dynamic Decade,” said Joe Andrew, Global Chairman of Dentons. “We are committed to combining with firms like Guevara & Gutierrez, which have the experience, the quality and the confidence to help our clients thrive wherever they are located.”
“This significant combination builds on the momentum we have achieved as the first and only pan-Latin American law firm,” said Jorge Alers, CEO of Dentons’ Latin America and Caribbean Region. “This combination will make us a magnet for local talent and enable us to assist clients seeking a breadth of services across geographies that few of our global competitors can match.”
“Guevara & Gutierrez and Dentons share the vision of building the dominant global law firm in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Ramiro Guevara, Founding Partner of Guevara & Gutierrez. “Our clients will continue to work with the lawyers they know and trust, who can now connect them to sophisticated global resources, innovative technology, and a deep pool of talent throughout the region and around the world.”
Leading Scottish law firm Thorntons has welcomed six further trainee solicitors this September. This follows an earlier intake of ten trainees in March of this year and underlines the firm’s commitment to growth.
The new recruits will undertake a two year course across the firm’s network of offices, developing their skills and knowledge across a variety of legal disciplines, as part of their traineeship.
All trainees will adopt a blended work approach, working both from home and in the Thorntons’ offices, ensuring they have direct support from their supervising partner and other colleagues.
The trainees are Walter Buckman from Glasgow, David Durie and Finlay Williamson from Dundee, Antonia Kildare and Hannah Smethurst from Edinburgh, and Martyna Kotlarz from Aberdeen.
Structured around four six-month department rotations, the trainees will gain hands-on experience, complete practical work and have direct client contact from early on. The group will also benefit from Thorntons’ diverse learning and development programmes, mentoring scheme and internal virtual networking opportunities which are all designed to further advance skills and knowledge.
Additionally, all trainees are allocated a specially selected mentor from Thorntons’ team to offer advice and guidance throughout the duration of the training contract.
New trainee David Durie said: “Going to University in Dundee, Thorntons was a huge presence in the legal community. But the firm didn’t just appear to us in billboards, on the television, and on the radio. The people at Thorntons were always willing to give their time to help with events, offer their knowledge and advice, and even act as a sounding board regarding doubts about our futures.
“When I was given the opportunity to join the firm as a trainee and pay forward the help I was given, I knew I had to grab it. I have a lot to learn over the next two years, and there’s a lot of work to be done. But that work is made all the more rewarding by witnessing first-hand that ‘doing what’s right’ isn’t just a slogan, it really is Thorntons’ mission.”
Lesley Larg, Managing Partner at Thorntons, said: “Our trainees play a vital role in the success of the firm, and I’m hugely excited to welcome our new team members.
“As Thorntons continues to grow, and more and more opportunities become available for newly qualified solicitors, this is a particularly exciting time for our trainees to embark on their careers. Each year a significant number of successful trainees stay on to continue their careers with us, and we look forward to working with them to develop their skills and knowledge.”
For more details on Thorntons traineeships visit: www.thorntons-law.co.uk/careers/legal-traineeships
Over eight weeks of part-time learning, this course will take you through the tools, technology and techniques you need to build and deploy a functioning web application. Focusing on:
- Programming fundamentals
- HTML/CSS
- Version Control
- Deployment
This course is ideal if your business relies on a website and you need more knowledge and capability inside your own team to better understand and manage it. It is also valuable for those who are new to coding, entrepreneurs looking to develop their own web app, and those who want to work more effectively with developers.
All for the price of £3,000+VAT but for a limited time we are offering an introductory discount of 10%, making the total cost £2,700. The course starts 19th of October, Applications close on the 11th of October.
To book your place, please click here. If you have any questions, please contact the CodeClan Admissions Team on admissions@codeclan.com
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce Member Clearsky Logic’s new My Booking Hub platform allowed Fresh Car Valeting to open up new areas without escalating their admin overheads. By empowering the business to scale revenue, new customers increased by 7,121 in 2021 alone.
With 99% of Fresh Car Valeting’s bookings now being made through the 24/7 automated platform, their efficiency has rapidly increased, ultimately cutting out 28 hours per month of tiresome back and forth communication between customers and an admin member of staff.
Here is how My Booking Hub allowed Fresh Car Valeting’s scale-up, and how it can do the same for your business:
My Booking Hub Overview
My Booking Hub is the world’s first automated booking platform that uses a unique location-based algorithm to factor in travel times between locations when making appointments. It assigns members of your team to appointments, based on the most efficient travel time. This is driven by the core function of maximising automated bookings and minimising travel times, consequently making your scheduling more efficient.
Fresh Car Valeting’s Problem
Fresh Car Valeting had hit the ceiling for their business growth. Due to their manual booking processes slowing them down, they faced an excessive expenditure of scarce resources on customer administration. They urgently needed a way to scale their business quickly through booking more appointments without hiring additional admin staff. Finally, they needed a platform that allowed them to organise their growing number of car valeting staff’s appointments and to fit more appointments into each day.
The dedicated tech team behind My Booking Hub, boasting a range of specialist skills, combatted this problem by offering an innovative solution.
My Booking Hub’s Solution
This process was design-led and solution-driven, meaning the My Booking Hub team worked to produce an automated platform that could be used not only by Fresh Car Valeting but by all other businesses wanting to maximise the numbers of appointments they could make.
Building a platform centered on the needs of staff, the team at ClearSky prioritised building an advanced algorithm to forecast travel times between the locations of current and newly requested appointments. Our cutting-edge tech consequently allows businesses to automatically allocate the right person on their team to take on a booking based on the most efficient travel itinerary. Ultimately, this lets them take on more bookings without expanding their administration team.
More core benefits of My Booking Hub include:
– Less Time on Admin
It allows your team to manage their schedule, with full control over their working hours, breaks, and appointments. Additionally, customers are given add-on service suggestions when booking, meaning each booking can be worth more.
– Less Time on Customer Service
We offer a comprehensive CRM system, dispatching automated communications that remind customers of appointments and follow-ups etc.
– Less Time on Travel
It forecasts travel times between locations, identifies a team member to take the booking based on the most efficient travel itinerary, and automatically factors both into appointment scheduling.
Darren Auld CEO of ClearSky Logic:
“We help build businesses of the future, when we saw how overly manual bookings were holding back growth at Fresh Car Valeting we dedicated ourselves to finding a technical solution to help many other businesses in the same position”
The Impact for Fresh Car Valeting
My Booking Hub allowed Fresh Car Valeting to fulfill its goal of booking more appointments with the same customer admin team. They saw an improved customer experience while reducing their operational costs and improving their efficiency. In turn, this increased their revenue and kickstarted rapid business growth.
This solution eliminated the need for the Fresh Car Valeting team to manually book in and manage appointments and instead let customers make bookings online 24/7. Customers could log in to the self-serve area to view their past and current bookings and manage their details.
In the last 6 months, their number of automated sales increased by 600%.
Customer experience was also improved through a streamlined booking process and more accurate appointment timings. The platform’s algorithm handled geolocation of appointments, removing any human error related to double-booking risks or when valets could reach appointments.
Sam Brennan, Owner of Fresh Car Valeting:
“Integrating My Booking Hub into Fresh Car Valeting’s current systems is just the start. With this now in place, we have the ability to look at other manual processes that may be slowing us down which could instead be automated.
Our long-term plan is to scale up across the UK and increase the number of franchises nationwide, Fresh Car Valeting is now poised to take on more work and continue to grow their business.”
How this helps in the future
What started as an idea to help one business scale up has transformed into a fully working and highly competitive automated booking system used across numerous industries. Post-launching, the My Booking Hub team is continuing to grow and support a cutting-edge and consumer-driven platform showcasing our logic of maximising automated bookings and minimising travel times between them.
For more information about how My Booking Hub can scale up your business, please contact lois.adamson@clearksylogic.com or visit https://mybookinghub.webflow.io.
On Wednesday 6th October, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home will be hosting an evening with Animal Champion, Marc Abraham OBE. Limited tickets are available and include a talk with Q&A and signed copy of Marc’s latest book Lucy’s Law; The Story of a Little Dog Who Changed the World.
Marc Abraham OBE, BVM&S MRCVS is a multi-award winning veterinary surgeon who qualified from Edinburgh University in 1995. Marc was awarded an OBE for Services to Animal Welfare in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours. In his career he has worked as both a small animal and emergency vet in Brighton, a TV vet on numerous shows including BBC Breakfast, This Morning, and Sky News; as well as volunteering overseas with numerous charities, including helping shut down dogmeat farms in South Korea, neutering dogs and cats in the Amazon, and operating on a moonbear in China. Marc is the co-founder and secretariat of the All-Party Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG), founder of puppy farm awareness campaign PupAid, and also the producer of US movie documentary Dog By Dog. Marc now campaigns to change laws to protect animals in the UK and beyond.
In June 2019, after a 10 year campaign led by Marc and over 300 visits to Westminster, the Government passed ‘Lucy’s Law’ into English legislation, banning the commercial (for profit/non-rescue) 3rd party trade in puppies and kittens, making all breeders accountable and providing transparency for prospective puppy/kitten buyers. Lucy’s Law came into effect on 6 April 2020 and means anyone looking for a puppy or kitten must deal directly with the breeder or rescue centre. In February 2021 it was announced that Scotland would be following suit with its own Lucy Law legislation.
To find out more about the event and sign up, please visit: edch.org.uk/event/evening-with-marc-abraham-obe/
Harpalion Spirits’ Cabal brand has won silver in the dark rum category at the Autumn Blind Tasting 2021 collaboration between The Drinks Business & The Spirits Business for its very first expression, Cabal No.1513 aged rum.
Claire Kinloch, CEO at Harpalion Spirits said: “We’re thrilled to have Cabal No.1513 recognised by The DBSB Autumn Tasting. With entries up by 115% this year, there was serious competition, so this award is testament to the high-quality taste profile we’ve created with our tropically aged, naturally finished rum.
“Our rums are distinctive and flexible because they are created and tested by both consumers and industry experts. They have wide appeal and have been designed to offer choice in the way they are enjoyed and consumed.
“People are at the heart of Cabal’s ethos so we’re delighted that our consumer-led rum has now been officially acknowledged by the best in the industry.”
Cabal No.1513, which was officially launched in May 2021, is created using a combination of pot and column distillation techniques with rums from prominent distilleries in Guatemala, Guyana, Trinidad, Panama and the Caribbean, tropically aged at origin. The liquid is then finished in Pedro Ximénez casks in Speyside, creating a unique, complex, yet smooth taste profile.
Bottled at 43% ABV, Cabal No.1513 is non-chill filtered, and there is no added colouring, flavour or sugar, leaving a high-quality, natural rum.
Created in 2020 to establish a seasonal platform to celebrate the best brands in spirits, wine, beer and all the low‐ and no‐alcohol options in between, this is the second annual DB & SB Autumn Tasting collaboration. Like The Spirits Business’s Global Master Series, entrants are guaranteed fair assessment through the use of completely independent judges with no brand affiliations.
About Cabal
There’s a unique ingredient in Cabal, People. To create its liquid, Cabal brings together whisky drinkers, spirit lovers, rum champions, liquid specialists, trade experts, and literally the couple next door, to experiment and sample until the perfect result is achieved.
The people who make up ‘the Cabal’ want to feel connected, to be involved, to experiment and to contribute. It’s this likeminded spirit that sets Cabal and all of its expressions apart.
Find out more and buy online at www.cabalrum.com and stay inspired at www.facebook.com/Cabalrum and www.instagram.com/cabalrum
Cabal No.1513 is distributed in the UK through bbb drinks and is available to both on-trade and off-trade outlets and online platforms across the UK. Export will also be a key channel and Gold Medal Marketing in Alberta, Canada, has already been appointed as a regional distributor.
Harpalion Spirits
Cabal is a Harpalion Spirits brand. Founded by two entrepreneurs passionate about the complexity, creativity and integrity that surrounds rum and its taste, Harpalion Spirits is wholeheartedly committed to using consumer insight to create its liquid, brand, story and future, with more than 200 people involved in the Cabal journey so far.
The company, head quartered in Edinburgh, is backed by entrepreneur Richard Dixon, Chairman and led by CEO Claire Kinloch, also CEO of strategy consultancy, Genoa Black.
www.linkedin.com/company/harpalion-spirits
One could argue there is no such thing as the perfect business deal, but Scaramanga – a vintage lifestyle founder and director Carl Morenikeji would beg to differ.
The avid James Bond fan celebrates the release of the new Bond movie, No Time To Die, and will be buying a ticket for more reasons than many – the company, named after an iconic Bond villain, has provided two of its wares to use as props in the latest 007 film. And with the plotline shrouded in secrecy, one thing we can reveal is that the film includes some classic vintage locks, from the Fife based company.
The team is also no stranger to using the latest, innovative technology to showcase its wares to its customers. Marketing agency Property Studios’ sister brand 360 Virtual Studios set up specifically to offer cutting edge virtual tours and marketing solutions for the arts, retail and tourism sectors, has created a virtual 3D reality tour of Scaramanga’s Cupar based warehouse. These self-led, online multi-media tours enable its customers to browse through their treasure trove of vintage furniture, leather items and accessories, all from the comfort of their own sofas, and buying online via their website.
With a seeming match made in heaven of rich movie heritage, and the latest in innovative technology, the result is a spy movie inspired virtual treasure hunt experience, where eagle-eyed wannabee heroes and villains can virtually walk around the warehouse, hunting for these props and physical clues to some of the other films its products have appeared in.
Michelle Milnes, Managing Director of 360 Virtual Studios, confirms “We’re thrilled to have collaborated with the team in this exciting venture. Having helped many of these independent retailers to both stay afloat and boost sales during lockdown, introducing a virtual treasure hunt shows how these interactive tours can also be used to create a truly engaging experience for customers.”
Scaramanga, which celebrates its fifteenth birthday this month – are no strangers to having their items featured in Hollywood blockbusters. However, as Carl Morenikeji says: “This is very special. As a lifelong James Bond fan, having the movie use two of my company’s products really is a dream come true and the perfect 15th birthday gift for everyone in the team.”
Budding spies and vintage fans should visit Scaramanga’s website to take part in this virtual intelligence gathering challenge and email to be entered in a draw of correct entries on Tuesday 5th October.
360 Virtual Studios specialises in cutting-edge virtual tours and marketing solutions for businesses across the arts, hospitality, tourism and retail sectors. For further information visit their website www.360virtualstudios.co.uk or contact 0131 618 7702 or hello@360virtualstudios.co.uk.
- New Barclays Corporate Banking research shows 93% of hospitality and leisure operators in Scotland are confident about growth this year following a post-lockdown surge in trade
- The sector’s overall contribution to GDP will be £3.5bn higher between April and December than it was in 2019
- Businesses report an increase in healthy and sustainable product sales, as well as those which come with strong safety and hygiene standards
New research* by Barclays Corporate Banking reveals that the hospitality and leisure industry is thriving again and could contribute £250m more to Scotland’s economy this year than in 2019.
In a new thought leadership report published today, Leisure Rediscovered, Barclays’ data shows that the vast majority of hospitality and leisure businesses (93%) in Scotland are confident about their growth prospects for this year following a post-lockdown surge in trade. Based on projected sales figures for the period from April to December 2021, when the hospitality sector has largely been open again, this equates to £3.5bn more in national Gross Value Added (GVA) than in the equivalent period in 2019.
The research reveals new patterns in the way people are accessing hospitality and leisure services and changing consumer habits. For example, although restrictions on foreign travel have eased substantially in the past couple of weeks, staycation tourism could be here to say with more than half (52%) of consumers in Scotland prioritising UK holidays over those abroad. The most popular destinations are the Lake District, the South West of England and the Scottish Highlands.
Barclays Corporate Banking estimates that, if a preference for UK holidays continues at the same rate in 2022, it will add up to £9.2bn to the UK’s domestic tourism market.
The report also shows that significant numbers of consumers are prioritising hospitality and leisure products that offer health and wellbeing benefits, strong sustainability credentials, or which come with particularly strong safety and hygiene standards.
On average, consumers in Scotland are prepared to pay 17.4% extra for healthier food and drink options, and 15.8% for holiday accommodation that includes health and wellbeing services such as a gym or spa and 80% of hospitality and leisure operators in the area are now prioritising ‘healthy’ products among their portfolios.
At a national level, while eating out or drinking, those aged 16 to 24 would be prepared to pay a premium of 35%, on average, for products with strong sustainability credentials. The average premium for 25-to-35-year-olds is 30%. Meanwhile, a sustainable holiday experience is worth 39% more to the youngest group, and 32% for 25s-to-35s.
Unsurprisingly, many consumers in Scotland are expressing strong preferences for services that are safe and hygienic. In fact, customers would pay an extra 18.6%, on average, to eat and drink in venues with particularly strong standards. Across the UK, the 16-to-24 age group would pay an average of 39% extra, while those aged 25 to 35 would pay 33% more.
Mike Saul, Head of Hospitality and Leisure at Barclays Corporate Banking, commented:
“After a very difficult period for the hospitality sector, it is great to see how well the sector has bounced back. Our findings show an industry brimming with confidence and buoyed by surging revenues.
“However, it is also an industry that is undergoing a substantial amount of change – from the customers it serves to the products it sells. We have uncovered strong evidence that, particularly for younger customers, operators will need to place increased focus on healthy, sustainable and safe product ranges and to maintain investment in data and technology. Whilst the industry is navigating some short-term challenges around supply chains and labour shortages, operators that prioritise these areas will be an incredibly strong position for the long-term.”
Other findings from the Leisure Rediscovered report show that, across the UK:
- Tech is a firmly rooted part of the sector’s proposition: 36% of businesses are earning more from ecommerce than ever
- Collaboration is one of the big success stories of the pandemic, with 88% of operators now joining forces with their local peers to share data and offer joint deals
- 42% of spas are seeing more men come through their doors and more younger customers are using holiday lets (47%) and holiday parks (40%)
- The lure of local hospitality is strong: 41% of consumers say they are now more drawn to go out for entertainment in their local neighbourhoods than further afield
- The delivery boom has not subsided since the pandemic, with four in ten businesses reporting continued popularity of home delivery and click-and-collect services
Regional data: Tab 1
| Region | Additional contribution to economy (£m) | Confident about growth | Consumers prioritising UK holidays | How much consumers would pay extra for healthier food and drink | How much consumers would pay extra for accommodation with healthy link | How many businesses are prioritising health and wellbeing products | How much extra consumers would pay for services that are safe and hygienic |
| North East | £157m | 86% | 53% | 17.8% | 17.3% | 76% | 19.4% |
| North West | £465m | 91% | 45% | 18.7% | 17.6% | 100% | 21.2% |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | -£54m | 92% | 43% | 18.7% | 18.1% | 70% | 19.3% |
| East Midlands | £404m | 95% | 47% | 19.6% | 15.3% | 95% | 20% |
| West Midlands | £609m | 97% | 44% | 20.7% | 19.5% | 93% | 21.5% |
| East | -£161m | 92% | 43% | 15.5% | 14.9% | 92% | 16% |
| London | £1,003m | 97% | 43% | 28.4% | 26.9% | 92% | 30.1% |
| South East | £53m | 88% | 40% | 17.7% | 15.4% | 84% | 16.9% |
| South West | £440m | 100% | 43% | 15.9% | 13.4% | 100% | 15.1% |
| Wales | £216m | 89% | 49% | 19.3% | 17.4% | 89% | 20.2% |
| Scotland | £250m | 93% | 52% | 17.4% | 15.8% | 80% | 18.6% |
| Northern Ireland | £102m | 80% | 49% | 21.5% | 18.8% | 80% | 22.% |
BCC says new EU Export Support Service must add value
William Bain, Head of Trade Policy at the BCC, said:
“Business has been pointing out the daily difficulties firms, large and small, have had with the new trading terms for EU exports since they started on 1 January.
“Many have found themselves wrestling with issues around VAT, export health certificates, and origin certification for the first time.
“The Chambers Network and ChamberCustoms were ready on day one for this challenge and have continued to share their practical experience and knowledge of how to best facilitate trade and market access for our members.
“Every day we are working to make this happen in a way no-one else does. Our expertise allows us to offer advice, training, brokerage and documentation services for trade with both the EU and wider international market.
“We are keen to work in partnership with Government to enhance this capacity to lift export-led growth for companies the length and breadth of the United Kingdom, using our Global Business Network to extend their reach.
“We look forward to working with the Europe Export Support Service and hope it will prove complementary to the unrivalled support the Chamber Network provides to exporting UK companies.
“Unfortunately, many firms have given up exporting to EU customers since January, while others have found the new barriers to trade in goods and services a massive financial and logistical burden.
“The essential test for this new service will be to turn that around and do it quickly, by adding value to the work of Chambers and not to further confuse UK companies. Rebuilding the economy after the pandemic requires turbo-charged export-led growth – especially with our largest trading partner – the EU.”
Welcome to the new look Scottish Water Newsletter – we’re going digital to help reach our Net Zero by 2040 target!
It’s been a challenging year for all of us, as we responded to the Covid-19 pandemic. At Scottish Water, we’ve had to adapt quickly, and transform the way we work, to allow our frontline key workers to maintain the same level of water and waste water services to our customers. We’ve learned a lot, and recognised that, as a business, we can be fleet, flexibile, and innovative in the face of a fast-changing environment.
Our latest Performance & Prospects Report was published on 1 September 2021, where you can find out how we performed in 2020/21, and our plans for the future.
We must play our part in supporting a flourishing Scotland, and to do this we need to undergo a transformation as big as any challenge we’ve ever faced.
We face significant challenges in the future, not least as a result of climate change and our ageing infrastructure, to maintain the level of service we provide to customers and communities.
This will require a significant increase in investment levels, and increases in customer charges and borrowing from the Scottish Government to pay for this.
Over the next year, we’ll continue to build good relationships with you, our stakeholders, and we look forward to working with many new faces too.
This whistle-stop tour, highlights just a fraction of the work we have been involved in over the past year. We’ll cover Net Zero, Climate Change, Flourishing Scotland and Major Investment, as well as some of the more unusual work we get involved in. Please click the underlined links if you want to read more.
We hope you enjoy this update and we look forward to speaking to you soon.
Here’s to working with you,
All at Scottish Water
