John McHugh > Harper Macleod LLP > Edinburgh, United Kingdom > Lawyer Profile

Harper Macleod LLP
CITYPOINT, 65 HAYMARKET TERRACE
EDINBURGH
EH12 5HD
United Kingdom
John McHugh photo

Position

Partner

John specialises in commercial disputes. His main focus is in the area of contractual disputes and his practice includes acting in contentious construction related matters. He also has a wealth of experience of commercial property disputes acting for both landlords and tenants.

John acts in a wide range of contentious matters including fraud; professional negligence; PFI/PPP disputes; and construction claims. His commercial practice involves advising clients on disputes involving taxation and pensions. He has acted in disputes involving company directors and their duties. He also has considerable experience of sports law disputes and has acted in a number of football related matters.

He conducts cases and appears in courts and tribunals of all levels, as well as adjudications and mediations. He has considerable experience of arbitration.

John is a member of the Property Litigation Association and has passed the entrance examination of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is also a part-time Chairperson of the statutory First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber). He is a Member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Complaints sub-committee. For 15 years, he has been an active member of the International Fraud Group, which is an international group of law firms specialising in fraud and asset recovery.

John is a solicitor advocate, which permits him to represent clients in the civil courts at all levels.

Memberships

John is a member of the Property Litigation Association and has passed the entrance examination of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.  He is also a part-time Chairperson of the statutory First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber). He is a Member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Complaints sub-committee. For 15 years, he has been an active member of the International Fraud Group, which is an international group of law firms specialising in fraud and asset recovery.

Education

LLB (Hons) Dip LP NP, Solicitor Advocate

Lawyer Rankings

Scotland > Real estate > Property litigation

Harper Macleod LLP supports clients with disputes related to commercial leases, title boundaries and conditions, access rights, and agricultural property. Sandy Hastie heads up the dispute resolution department, while Andrew Upton spearheads the real estate litigation division, regularly appearing in the Sheriff Court, Court of Session, Scottish Land Court, as well as the Lands Tribunal for Scotland. John McHugh is a key member of the team, bringing significant experience in acting for shopping centre landlords.

Scotland > Insurance > Professional negligence

The ‘strong and well-respected team’ at Harper Macleod LLP handles a broad range of matters, such as pursuing claims against professionals in the banking, financial services and insurance sectors, in addition to negligence claims against engineers, architects and surveyors. Praised as ‘thoroughly knowledgeable, highly professional and proactive’, David Kerr jointly leads the team alongside Sandy Hastie. Other key contacts in the group include John McHugh, who focuses on cases involving contractual, construction and corporate elements, E-Ming Fong and Andrew MacKenzie, who is commended as ‘intelligent and a formidable opponent’.

Scotland > Dispute resolution > Commercial litigation

Harper Macleod LLP offers significant experience in handling contractual, shareholder, and post-M&A disputes, with increased instructions in group litigation. Practice head Sandy Hastie, praised as ‘one of the top commercial litigators in Scotland’, excels at corporate and shareholder litigation, handling disputes in the healthcare, energy, and financial services sectors. David Kerr manages complex post-M&A, tax, and banking disputes, E-Ming Fong brings expertise to corporate disputes and intellectual property matters, while John McHugh focuses on contractual disputes.