UK and leading Scottish law firm, Brodies LLP, welcomes nine new partners, including four internal promotions and five lateral hires.

The internal promotions see banking and finance lawyer, Mark Meiklejohn; commercial litigator and solicitor advocate, Craig Watt; and personal and family lawyers, Hayley Robertson and Nick Marshall become partners.

They will be joined by lateral hires Allan Cairns and Colin Keenan who join the firm’s real estate practice, litigator, Gareth Hale, and corporate lawyers Martin Ewan and David Millar.

Allan Cairns specialises in the UK real estate investment market. With more than 17 years’ experience he has worked with clients based in the UK and overseas, including the Netherlands, Germany and South Korea.

With a particular but not exclusive focus on the retail sector, Colin Keenan acts for shopping centre and retail park clients on projects across the UK. With their combined experience Allan and Colin bring significant expertise to core areas of the firm’s real estate practice.

Adding to Brodies’ litigation practice is Gareth Hale. With more than 15 years’ experience in commercial litigation Gareth has represented UK clients across a range of sectors from housebuilding, shopping centres and retail parks to care homes and healthcare. He also brings considerable experience in the financial services sector and in international arbitration.

Cairns, Keenan and Hale join Brodies from Dentons.

Adding to Brodies’ growing practice in Aberdeen, as the firm marks a decade in the city, are Martin Ewan and David Millar.

Martin Ewan has more than 20 years’ experience and is widely recognised as a leading IP and technology lawyer in the oil and gas industry, while also providing advice on M&A, joint ventures and a wide range of commercial transactions.  Martin holds a Masters in Technology Law, a Masters in Business and has authored an authoritative chapter on “Technology in the Oilfield” for the University of Aberdeen’s leading Oil & Gas law textbook.

David Millar has more than 17 years’ experience specialising in corporate M&A, joint ventures and private equity work across a range of sectors and with particular experience in energy. Having trained in Edinburgh he relocated back to his hometown of Aberdeen in 2011.

Both Ewan and Millar join Brodies from Pinsent Masons.

In addition to the nine new partners, the firm has promoted nine colleagues to the role of senior associate, and 12 to associate.

Brodies managing partner, Nick Scott, said: “Our strategic plans for 2021 – 2024 recognise the opportunity for growth across all areas of the firm and the benefits that will bring to our clients in the provision of relevant, quality legal advice. Those plans also recognise the wealth of talent within our firm. I congratulate Mark, Craig, Hayley and Nick as they step up to partner, and wish all our newly promoted colleagues well as they start the next stage in their careers.

“That we can continue to attract market leading lawyers of the calibre of Allan, Colin, Gareth, Martin and David underpins our strategic plans and is testament to the market’s recognition of our firm’s ambition. We look forward to their contribution.”