‘Clearly experts in the field’, Burness Paull LLP helms high-profile deals for a mix of leading clients. Corporate instructions remain at the forefront of the group’s portfolio of work, chiefly multi-national restructurings, acquisitions, investments and disposals, with a notable focus on the financial services and tech sectors. The firm’s deep bench of advisers is headed up by Mark Ellis whose deep expertise in private equity deals is frequently sought out by a range of investors and portfolio companies. PE specialist David Davidson and capital markets expert Chris Gotts are key advisers to both public and private companies, while Peter Lawson’s UK-wide practice spans significant internal restructurings and major public takeovers. Catriona Macallan oversees complex, multi-jurisdictional transactions in the healthcare sector, whereas Edward Hunter demonstrates activity in the hospitality, leisure and sport spaces. Walter Clark brings a ‘pragmatic’ mindset to a variety of M&A, PE and joint venture mandates with the ability to ’always quickly get to the crux of the matter’. Paul Scullion adds further venture capital capabilities and has a notable roster of private equity clients. Robert Burns handles a range of corporate transactions for business and family offices, and Caroline Stevenson lends key financial services regulatory acumen to deals.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘The service provided by Burness Paull is outstanding. Their team consistently delivers high-quality work, demonstrating both deep legal knowledge and practical expertise. They are particularly strong in their responsiveness and the clarity of their advice, which makes every process efficient and easy to navigate.'
- 'Burness Paull demonstrates an excellent understanding of our needs. They take the time to understand our business, our style and our unique challenges, which results in pragmatic advice that fit our needs perfectly. Their approach is very client-focused.’
‘Our client team at Burness Paull have invested a huge amount of time and effort into the relationship. Every process is better than the one before and we get the outcome we need.’
‘Clearly experts in their field. Excellent client care and extremely responsive. Very pragmatic and keen to get the work done in the most efficient way.’
‘Walter Clark is a fantastic relationship partner and commercial negotiator. Very pragmatic and always quick to get to the crux of the matter.'
- 'Caroline Stevenson has superb knowledge in her field. Highly regarded and respected by all. Very responsive and engaging and always demonstrates excellent understanding of client requirements.’
Key clients
- Phoenix Group
- Chesnara plc
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- The Access Group
- Hibernian Football Club
- Lonsdale Capital Partners
- STV
- Zoetis
- Avania
- Kings Park Capital
Work highlights
- Advised Standard Life Assets and Employee Services Limited on a large Part VII transfer.
- Advised Zoetis on its landmark acquisition of the entire issued share capital of PetMedix Ltd from several institutional and individual sellers.
- Advised Sony Interactive Entertainment on its acquisition of iSIZE Limited.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Mark Ellis