Gilson Gray picks up two as Addleshaws-Morton Fraser deal unravels

The deal by which Addleshaw Goddard's Private Client team were to transfer to Morton Fraser looks to have unravelled, with only two of the solicitors involved still confirmed as making the move.

Last month it was announced that in separate agreements between the two firms, Addleshaw Goddard's 10-strong Scottish Private Client team would transfer to Morton Fraser, which intended to concentrate its private client offering on tax and succession planning. Morton Fraser had also agreed terms to take a minority stake in Coulters, the specialist residential property firm in which Addleshaw Goddard is majority shareholder, and transfer its eight-strong Residential Property team there.

Now however Gilson Gray has signed up two of the team – partner Euan Fleming, who joins the firm as head of Private Client, and senior solicitor Joe Davies. Other team members are understood to be moving elsewhere, though partners Douglas Hunter and Gregor Mitchell are still joining Morton Fraser.

Mr Fleming commented: "I am incredibly happy to be joining, arguably, the most ambitious law firm in Scotland. Certainly the firm’s growth and results speak for themselves.

"Heading up the Private Client department at Gilson Gray is an amazing and exciting opportunity.

"It is clear that the firm has a positive ethos of placing its talented pool of staff at the core of its business, ultimately for client interest, and I very much look forward to help in nurturing that ethos whilst developing a market leading Private Client proposition."

Gilson Gray has a track record of cherry-picking talent to join its team. Managing partner Glen Gilson said: "We’ve always shown a strong commitment to hiring the very best talent. Euan and Joe are forward thinking and technically excellent lawyers who join some of the best private client talent in Scotland."

He added: "We offer a different culture to the traditional offering, a feel more akin to a cross between private equity and law, that we believe entrepreneurs, executives and business owners prefer."

The irony of Gilson poaching such talent will not be lost on Addleshaw Goddard, who built up its Private Client team when a partner at legacy firm HBJ Gateley. He later resigned from the firm following a disagreement over strategic direction.