Independent UK law firm Burges Salmon is proud to be celebrating its five-year anniversary in Scotland since the opening of its Edinburgh office in Atria One, on Morrison Street, in May 2019. Since then, the firm has continued to record strong organic growth and has established itself as a law firm of choice in the market, with the Edinburgh office playing an important part in how the firm is delivering on its purpose to ensure its clients, people and communities flourish.

Burges Salmon’s clients in Scotland include Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander, abrdn, McTaggart Group, William Grant & Sons, Ooni, Octopus, BayWa, and The Crown Commercial Service. The firm is particularly active in the Scottish renewables energy sector, having recently advised on nationally significant projects including Scotland’s largest airport-based solar project and the development of Coalburn 1, one of the largest battery energy storage systems in Europe.

The firm’s Built Environment sector group recently acted on the acquisition of Edinburgh’s iconic Caledonian Waldorf Astoria Hotel whilst the Estates and Land team worked with Oxygen Conservation on many acquisitions in Scotland to protect and restore nature.

Burges Salmon’s Corporate team has also been particularly active in the market, working with leading life sciences and biotech companies including Edinburgh-based Cytomos, Calcivis and Cumulus Oncology and guiding pioneering start-ups LIND and Danu Robotics through their next stage of growth.

The firm’s Scottish presence has gone from strength to strength, resulting early on in an increase of its office footprint with the acquisition of 3,000 sq. ft of additional space in Atria One. The expansion meant the firm could accommodate a growing team that today boasts over 80 people, including nine partners and five directors. Recent strategic hires have further enhanced the firm’s offering, notably the appointment of Energy partner Malcolm Donald and senior pensions lawyer Mairi Carlin, the latest in a series of new joiners in the firm’s Scottish-based Pensions and Lifetime Savings practice.

Reflecting on the past five years, Roger Bull, Managing Partner at Burges Salmon, comments: “As we continue to see ongoing positive growth across the firm, Edinburgh plays a fundamental part in our success story. Scotland has always had a rich legal heritage, and in the past five years we’ve demonstrated our ability to adapt, innovate and assert ourselves as a frontrunner in what continues to be a competitive market. Driven by an ambition to support our clients in Scotland and reaffirm our commitment to the local market, we’re proud of the strong team we’ve built here, who all contribute to, and build upon, the open and inclusive culture we pride ourselves on as a firm.”

Burges Salmon, which also has offices in Bristol and London, continues to have a strategic focus on ESG and has worked with the Scottish Wildlife Trust, the Royal Zoological Society for Scotland and Edinburgh Zoo, on initiatives that promote biodiversity, with the firm also home to two beehives on the rooftop of its Edinburgh office. To champion social mobility, the firm has also collaborated with IntoUniversity’s Edinburgh and Glasgow campuses to develop mentoring programmes.

Danny Lee, partner in the Corporate team and head of the firm’s Edinburgh office, adds: “Establishing an office in Scotland meant a lot more to us than just expanding geographically, and we saw it as an opportunity to be part of a vibrant ecosystem. Honing our skills and expertise, we work side by side with our clients, people and communities to support the delivery of projects that are set to benefit future generations in Scotland and further afield. We’ve woven ourselves into the fabric of the Scottish legal landscape, and we very much look forward to continuing to nurture relationships, develop homegrown talent and play our part in the community for years to come.”