UK and leading Scottish law firm Brodies LLP, has opened its new Highlands and Islands office in Inverness, following a busy year for its clients in the region.

In the past 12 months, Brodies has worked with businesses, organisations and individuals, including Inverness College, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Lerwick Port Authority and Stornoway Port Authority.

The firm acted for clients in the renewable energy sector, including windfarms on Shetland and the Orkney Islands Council community windfarm project, which is worth an estimated £371 million to the local economy.

In the food and drink sector, Brodies was appointed by the Tomatin Distillery Company Limited to provide legal and commercial advice to support a new market access strategy in the United States.

The firm also assisted Parklands Group – one of the largest independent care home providers in Scotland – in its buyout of British growth fund equity, and the refinancing of its facilities, to enable it to develop a new multi-million-pound care project in Inverness.

Brodies’ growing team will continue to support its clients from its new Highlands and Islands base, Clava House, in the Cradlehall Business Park in Inverness.

Brodies managing partner, Nick Scott, said: “We are grateful to our clients in the Highlands and Islands for their continued support and for seeking the advice of our lawyers on new and interesting instructions, as well as their day-to-day business, and personal and family matters.

“With our new office in Inverness, our clients will benefit from greater proximity to our lawyers, offering a state-of-the-art location to meet in person, whilst also providing enhanced technical capabilities that will, amongst other things, support virtual court hearings.

“We have taken many of the learnings from our new Capital Square office in Edinburgh, and considered them in the fit out of our Inverness office to support and optimise colleague wellbeing. We have created environments that will enhance collaboration between colleagues and clients, as well as supporting flexible working and providing room for us to grow.”

With its new Inverness office, Brodies aims to grow from its existing team of 12 lawyers currently based in the Highlands and Islands. Earlier this year, Highlands-based family and child law specialist, Sarah Lilley, was promoted to partner. Having joined the firm in 2020, Sarah has over 14 years’ experience in family and child law, ten of which have been spent working with clients in and around Inverness. She is also the only lawyer in the Highlands and Islands to hold three accreditations from the Law Society of Scotland in child law, family law and family mediation.