Chris Horsley
Burness Paull LLPWith a ‘dedicated team that is highly knowledgeable in the field and responsive to challenges and tasks’, Burness Paull LLP is frequently sought out by public and private sector bodies, overseeing marquee mandates involving education and healthcare PPP/PFIs, major digital infrastructure rollouts, and large-scale transport builds, handling the finance, procurement, development and contentious aspects. The group is led by three individuals: Gavin Paton advises on the full life cycle of projects as well as secondary market transactions; Andrew Little has an extensive construction background; and Chris Horsley has strong commercial acumen. James Forbes is another key name of note with broad construction and engineering expertise. Mark Kirke joined the firm from CMS in May 2023, while Fenella Mason left the firm to join CMS in July 2023.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Burness have a strong projects team. They are extremely organised which is a significant help in running a smooth and well organised litigation. They have a wealth of expertise in their area but, most importantly, they do not lose sight of the commercial factors which need to be taken into account in any litigation.’
‘Very strong understanding of the Scottish market context.'
‘Gavin Paton and Chris Horsley are widely respected - they draw upon significant experience and bring innovation and practical solutions to the table.’
'A dedicated team that is highly knowledgeable in their field and responsive to challenges and tasks.'
'Experienced, knowledgeable and solution focused.'
Key clients
- NHS Lothian
- Perth & Kinross Council
- Highlands and Islands Enterprise
- hub West Scotland Limited
- Albany Infrastructure Management
- Scottish Futures Trust Limited
- Scot Roads Partnership Project Limited
- Scottish Enterprise
- University of St Andrews
- Galliford Try Construction (UK) Limited / FM
- Graham Construction
- Ancala Water Services
- Van Oord
- Highland Spring Limited
- Fraserburgh Harbour Commissioners
- Port of Cromarty Firth
- Welsh Government
- Forth Valley College
- Carbon Energy Fund
Work highlights
- Advising hub West Scotland Limited on a £35m phased project to develop a new state-of-the-art education and community campus in Faifley.
- Acting for Scottish Futures Trust Limited in connection with developing innovative approaches for the financing and delivery of public EV charging infrastructure across Scotland.
- Acting for Port of Cromarty Firth in connection with its proposed development aimed primarily at supporting the floating offshore wind industry including in connection with ScotWind.
Lawyers
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Gavin Paton, Chris Horsley, Andrew Little