Brodies LLP

With a team that ‘possesses an excellent combination of knowledge and experience’, which enables it to ’comprehend issues from the client’s perspective and offer practical advice’, Brodies LLP continues to cover the entire spectrum of EU and competition law matters, with an increasing cross-border scope in instructions from multinational corporates and regional and international authorities and agencies. In particular, the group excels at subsidy control mandates, advising on the development of internal policies, the application of legislation, and procurement issues, where it handles a range of contentious and non-contentious instructions. The ‘efficient, knowledgeable and proactive’ team head Charles Livingstone is highly reputed for his varied practice that is particularly specialised in compliance and breach investigations. As a go-to in the practice for disputes work, Christine O’Neill also handles a high-volume of procurement matters and is often supported by senior associate Jamie Dunne, while Robert Ross is recommended for his expertise in the public and transport sectors. Roger Cotton retired in 2023.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Brodies really stood out for me because of their impressive expertise, their readiness to assist whenever needed, and their skill in navigating the complexities of public sector tenders. I found their team to be incredibly knowledgeable, responsive, and effective in ensuring successful outcomes. What sets Brodies apart is their innovative approach to collaboration, which I believe enhances their ability to provide tailored solutions and exceptional service compared to other firms.'
'The team at Brodies have specialist skills and knowledge among them to cover your needs and they are very good at appointing the correct person with the required knowledge to provide you with the best bespoke service. We had an instance that spanned different issues and Brodies ensured the relevant specialist were made available to ensure we got the best advice and there was no exposure to the business.'
'The team is very knowledgeable and responds quickly in clear language. The team can be relied on to provide advice quickly , within timescales requested.'
'Specialist competition lawyers who provide solid advice.'
'Brodies can always provide a service and achieve the timescales even when they are very short. We have been working with Charles Livingston for some time now and always find him to be efficient, knowledgeable and proactive. We always find Brodies' people to be very professional, polite, efficient and knowledgeable, we would always highly recommend their services.'
'Jamie Dunne is an exceptional senior associate who provides succinct legal advice on complex and developing areas of law. He is able to get to the nub of the issue quickly and is clearly an expert in his field.'
'The team possesses an excellent combination of knowledge and experience, enabling them to comprehend issues from the client's perspective and offer practical advice.'
'Jamie Dunne and Charles Livingstone were very helpful on a matter related to public procurement. What we valued about them, and Jamie in particular, is that they were very responsive on this time sensitive matter and that they provided practical, to the point advice on a complex technical matter.'

Key clients

Edrington
Scotrail Trains Limited
Tennent Caledonian Breweries
Caledonian Sleeper Limited
London Universities Purchasing Consortium
AGS Airports Limited
APCOA Parking UK Limited
Calmac Ferries Limited
Falkirk Council as lead authority for Forth Green Freeport
The Scotch Whisky Association
Borderlink Broadband Limited
Stornoway Port Authority
Culture Perth & Kinross
Scottish Enterprise
Highlands & Islands Enterprise
Scottish Futures Trust
Scottish Water Business Stream
Argyll & Bute Council
South Ayrshire Council

Work highlights

Advised an individual on issues of Scots law arising in a multi-billion-pound class action against Mastercard in the Competition Appeal Tribunal.
Supported ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper with public procurement issues arising from the franchises moving into public sector ownership, including helping to develop internal procurement processes and procedures.
Advised Scottish Futures Trust on the development of its internal subsidy control policies and procedures.

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