Nine firms named for Scottish Government legal panel

Nine legal firms have won places on the Scottish Govenment's external legal panel which will advise ministers for the four years from 1 August 2015.

Anderson Strathern and Harper Macleod came out best, with places in each of the six "lots" that were subject to tender: contracts, commercial and corporate; debt recovery; litigation, reparation, employment and inquiries; major projects; property and related matters; and "one stop shop".

Morton Fraser has been appointed to five lots, Brodies and Thorntons to four, MacRoberts to two, and DLA Piper, DWF and Weightmans to one each.

CMS Cameron McKenna (through Dundas & Wilson, with which it merged last year), Maclay Murray & Spens and Pinsent Masons, which featured on the previous panel, failed to win places.

Under the new arrangements more than 100 central government public bodies will be able to access the panel framework to procure their legal services.

The full list of appointments is:

Lot 1 – Contracts, commercial and corporate: Anderson Strathern, Harper Macleod, MacRoberts, Morton Fraser, Thorntons.

Lot 2 – Debt recovery: Anderson Strathern, Brodies, Harper Macleod, Morton Fraser, Thorntons.

Lot 3 – Litigation, reparation, employment and inquiries: Anderson Strathern, Brodies, Harper Macleod, Morton Fraser, Weightmans.

Lot 4 – Major projects: Anderson Strathern, Brodies, DWF, Harper Macleod, MacRoberts.

Lot 5 – Property and related matters: Anderson Strathern, DLA Piper, Harper Macleod, Morton Fraser, Thorntons.

Lot 6 – One stop shop: Anderson Strathern, Brodies, Harper MacLeod, Morton Fraser, Thorntons.