Harper Macleod turnover up 17% to £25.7m

Harper Macleod chairman Lorne Crerar and CEO Martin Darroch

Law firm Harper Macleod said it has increased its share of the Scottish legal market as it announced a record performance for its most recent financial year.

The firm said its turnover rose 17% to £25.7 million.

The business now has 72 partners and was recently named Scotland’s Law Firm of the Year for the eighth time in the past decade.

Professor Lorne Crerar, chairman of Harper Macleod, said: “This has been, beyond doubt, the most impressive year to date for Harper Macleod and a very important indicator for us is that our growth has been across the full spectrum of the sectors of the Scottish economy, broadly categorised as private, public or third sector …

“It is particularly satisfying that ‘corporate Scotland’ is increasingly acknowledging that because our pricing is lower than our mainstream competitors it does not mean our service delivery and expertise is in anyway compromised — quite the contrary.”

Harper Macleod said it continues to play a leading role in Scotland’s startup and high-growth sectors, partnering with organisations that include Entrepreneurial Spark and the Scottish EDGE fund.

The firm has increased its presence in Edinburgh and was recently ranked as one of the Top 3 Dealmakers in Scotland for 2015.

Chief executive Martin Darroch said: “We have made significant investments in the past year and with a strong balance sheet are well placed to make moves where we see a real benefit.

“However, we expect this to be a year where we consolidate the significant additions we have made to the maximum benefit of our clients and our people.”