Gillespie Macandrew LLP

gillespiemacandrew.co.uk

Agnes is a Partner in the Private Client Department and advises on a wide range of personal, legal and tax issues, including Wills, Trusts, Inheritance Tax and all aspects of wealth preservation.Agnes has a wide range of experience advising on contentious and complex estates and trusts, often with multi jurisdictional assets with specialist knowledge of judicial factories (borne from litigation claims). She also has substantial experience working on contentious cases regarding foreign assets.Agnes has a keen interest in advising on Succession Planning for Family Businesses, including farming businesses, and strongly believes that working closely with clients other Advisors achieve best results.

Responsible for advising charity clients in relation to regulatory and contractual matters. Includes charity reorganisation schemes, establishment of new charities, advice in relation to regulatory requirements including protection of vulnerable groups, data protection, lotteries and fundraising. Conducts regular training for charity trustees and assists those who are subject to regulatory inquiry or investigation.Also carries out work of a general commercial nature including business acquisitions and sales, partnerships and joint ventures, other commercial contracts.

Alan is a partner in the land and rural business department at Gillespie Macandrew. He has experience in a broad range of rural matters, including forestry, sporting interests and salmon fishings, crofting law, sale and purchase of farms and estates, succession planning and associated tax planning issues. Alan has a particular interest in agricultural holdings and general land management and environmental issues (including various grant schemes), renewable energy (wind and hydro) and minerals. Alan has recently been involved in various sales and acquisitions of a number of properties ranging from small residential estates with salmon fishings, through arable/livestock farms to large estates with significant sporting, farming and forestry aspects; he is currently advising on a number of renewable energy projects covering a range of generating capacities each involving unique intricacies varying from timber crop compensation and re-planting, crofting issues, to partnership structures between developer and landowner for tax planning purposes.

Partner in the Energy, Natural Resources and Strategic Land team. Amy acts on behalf of landowners, developers, funders and other third parties in new and ongoing renewable energy developments and in secondary market renewable energy transactions. She also acts in various strategic land developments including a number of large scale residential and mixed use developments across Scotland. Amy has particular experience assisting clients who are developing projects on land subject to crofting tenure, focusing on the various options available to developers in order to identify the best practical solution available.

As a Partner in our Housebuilding team, Andrew is experienced in all aspects of residential development work, and currently acts for a range of builders from UK PLC housebuilders to smaller bespoke and luxury developers. Andrew provides advice to guide clients through the entire lifecycle of a development site from the initial acquisition of the land, completing all required infrastructure work, preparing Deed of Conditions, and processing plot sales. Andrew is also experienced in acting for landowners in sales and options to housebuilders. Andrew has particular understanding of the complexity of housebuilding transactions, and residential development, and takes a pragmatic approach to ensure that transactions proceed in as timely and smooth a manner as possible.

Experienced Partner undertaking corporate and commercial work including mergers and acquisitions, investments, commercial contracts, intellectual property licences and company secretarial services, especially for clients in the technology sector.

Colin was promoted to Partner in 2017. Primary areas of practice are planning and environmental (non-contentious and contentious), real estate litigation and commercial litigation.

Derek McCulloch

Derek is dual qualified as a solicitor in Scotland and England & Wales and is head of the firm's Energy Natural Resource & Strategic Land team. Derek has over 20 years of experience advising and counselling global and domestic businesses on their major corporate, land and energy projects. As well as leading on some of the UK’s largest energy projects, he has been advising business sector organisations on developing legal and regulatory requirements and implications of climate change and the low carbon economy. He also has a track record in advising on natural resource regulation, university commercialisation and spin out projects, as well as complex joint venture and consortium deals. Derek co-ordinates international cross border projects and trade and is a chairman of the firm's global legal network, Lexwork International, founding their cross-border energy forum. Clients comment that he provides a real understanding of all sides of every issue, as well as possessing great business acumen and an innate appreciation of project risk.

Donald Winskill

Associate in the firm’s private client team, advising on adults with incapacity issues (powers of attorney, guardianships and intervention orders), Wills, tax planning and executries. He is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in Incapacity & Mental Disability Law, and recently completed the STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates (Scotland) with distinction.

Eilidh is a Partner based in our Perth office and specialises in tax and succession planning for individuals, families and trusts. Eilidh has the experience and expertise to help individuals navigate succession and tax planning at each stage of life and always aims to deliver her advice in a clear and pragmatic manner. Eilidh advises on lifetime and post death tax planning, Will drafting, asset protection and all aspects of trust and executry administration. She advises on Powers of Attorney and associated incapacity issues. She has dealt with a number of cross border estates and has written articles on the EU Succession Regulation. Eilidh has a particular interest in succession planning for rural clients and has significant experience advising on and claiming business and agricultural property relief. Eilidh is a member of the Association of Taxation Technicians, an Affiliate member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and a Notary Public.

Fiona is a Partner in Gillespie Macandrew’s dispute resolution and litigation team. She has particular specialism in property and employment disputes. Fiona acts for a variety of clients in Sheriff Court, Court of Session, Scottish Land Court and Employment Tribunal proceedings. She also regularly advises on a range of non-contentious matters, and maintains interest and experience in ADR, specifically mediation. Fiona prides herself on providing commercial, clear, solutions-driven advice.

Fraser is a Partner in the Firm`s Land and Rural Business Department. His main areas of practice lie in all property aspect of renewable energy projects, commercial property affecting the rural sector and Voluntary First Registration. Fraser is also responsible for the operational running of the Department.

Partner with 20 years' experience in all aspects of commercial property work in Scotland. Considerable experience in development projects, investment purchases and sales and secured lending. Projects include the development of a major international hotel, Business Premises Renovation Allowance (BPRA) schemes, and developments in the healthcare and student accommodation sectors. Particular expertise acting for both landlords and tenants in shopping centres and on the high street over a number of years including Starbucks, Halfords, New Look, Habitat, Benetton and Paddy Power. Whilst in Dubai working as part of the legal team advising government departments on number of major residential and commercial property schemes, including Jumeirah Lake Towers and The Palm, Jumeirah and also advising IFA Hotels and Resorts.

Partner specialising in land acquisition and disposals for housebuilders, site assembly, plot disposal, planning, funding and development agreements.

Partner in Gillespie Macandrew’s Private Client Department, and while specialising in tax he provides advice on IHT, CGT, LBTT and on all areas of succession planning, the drafting of complex trust and succession documents and contentious succession planning cases including negotiations with HMRC on complex tax cases. John appeared for the taxpayer in the IHT penalty case of Cairns v HMRC and has acted for the taxpayer in many other tax cases - reported and unreported.

John B Stirling

Partner and Solicitor-Advocate specialising in property litigation; (Danish Forestry Ltd v Scottish Coal Ltd, Sustainable Shetland v The Scottish Ministers), RSPB v Scottish Ministers, corporate reconstructions (Sportech plc Petitioner), Premier Oil plc, construction (Maxi Construction v Mortons Rolls; Holt v Colt), constitutional law (Clancy v Caird; Salvesen v Riddle), and charities (clerk to the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Clerk to the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of Edinburgh).

Commercial property and property finance advice, acting for multinationals and large corporate clients, SMEs and family businesses in the finance, investment, retail, development, energy and waste management sectors. Advising clients in the development of an anaerobic digestion facility; acting for clients in a complex sale of land for a supermarket redevelopment and advising a fund management business on its lease of prestigious Edinburgh offices; acting for a multinational manufacturer in the Scottish aspects of a £125m refinance transaction; providing advice to a major multinational retailer in connection with its Scottish operations; advising a FTSE 250 company on its lease of new Aberdeen offices.

Robert Andrew Scott-Dempster

Robert is an accredited specialist by the Law Society of Scotland and his main area of practice lies in agriculture and landed estates, rural businesses, renewable energy, ownership structures, capital taxation and succession. Robert has acted in some of Scotland’s most high profile transactions and has first-hand experience of dealing with community and crofting community purchases, acting for both private individuals and communities. He is a frequent speaker at conferences on agriculture and rural affairs as well as providing regular legal opinion pieces for both legal and industry publications. Robert is Chairman of Scottish Land & Estates Legal Committee and a Scottish committee member of the Agricultural Law Association. Robert is also a Specialist Adviser for the Farm Advisory Service and is a director of the Atlantic Salmon Trust.

Simon is a Legal Director in our Energy, Infrastructure and Natural Resources team and is qualified in both Scotland and England & Wales.