The doors may have only just opened at Gilson Gray’s new office in Aberdeen, but the team within are ready to put their decades of local experience to good use.
The most recent stage of law firm Gilson Gray’s ambitious expansion plan has involved the opening of a new office in Aberdeen’s West End. The modern premises at Blenheim Gate offer the perfect base to provide legal services to clients and businesses in the area.
At the helm is partner Calum Crighton (who leads Gilson Gray’s oil, gas and energy team) and partner Richard Shepherd (who specialises in real estate). There’s already an experienced team in place, including senior solicitors, and everyone is looking forward to further growing the office.
Calum said: “Actually having a physical presence in Aberdeen is super important in terms of our ambition in the city to grow a full service offering.
“We needed to be central in Aberdeen, which we are. We’re in the business community here. The office itself is fantastic. It’s a modern space which was really important to us for attracting even more talent into the business –we’ve got a place where people actually want to come and work.”
Indeed, Gilson Gray is committed to Aberdeen, which it views as a key location. Glen Gilson, group chairman and managing partner of Gilson Gray, said: “The north east of Scotland is a dynamic region with tremendous economic opportunities. Our decision to open an office reinforces our commitment to the area and to our clients.
“We now have offices stretching along the east coast of Scotland from Aberdeen to Dundee to East Lothian – as well as Edinburgh and Glasgow – and now in England too.”
Richard and Calum are particularly focused on attracting talent to complement the existing team, with Richard emphasising that it’s all about finding the right people with the right local knowledge. Both partners, who are proudly “born and bred” in Aberdeen, are perfect examples of this.
Calum explains: “We’ve worked our entire lives in the north-east.” He has spent 17 years working in Aberdeen, primarily in Oil and Gas and Renewables. Meanwhile Richard has been closely involved in real estate in the city for decades now.
They are pleased to be bringing this local expertise to the new Gilson Gray office, so they can hit the ground running. Calum explains: “It’s about trust. Richard and I have multiple years of building networks and relationships in and around Aberdeen.”
Richard adds: “We have decades of experience working within local markets already, we’re not new into this. We’ve been working in the area for a long, long time with Aberdeen businesses and clients.”
Of course, this local knowledge is also backed up by Gilson Gray’s dynamic approach. The firm has celebrated strong growth in recent years – it’s even expanded south with the recent acquisition of Lincoln-based Home Property Lawyers (HPL) Ltd. The brand has won over clients with its full service offering, incorporating some 17 legal specialisms, property letting and estate agents, and financial management.
So what’s next for Gilson Gray in Aberdeen? The plan is to deliver its full service approach to the city, for both businesses and private clients. Richard says: “We’re excited to grow, to further expand our talented team and continue working with our clients. That’s what we want to get on with next, now we have the premises.”
And Aberdeen is an exciting place to establish a new Gilson Gray branch, with both Richard and Calum pleased to see the city attracting investment. Calum ends: “Our new office is part of what I think is a stronger Aberdeen. It’s reflective of the fact that Aberdeen is recovering from the last few years, and that there’s a lot happening in the city, in energy, in real estate. We’re delighted to be a part of it.”
Recommended for you
