Andrew Blain has been re-elected by the partners of the firm to serve a second term as Managing Partner of Shepherd and Wedderburn from 1 May 2023.
Andrew was first elected Managing Partner in 2019 after joining Shepherd and Wedderburn in 1989 and becoming a partner in 1996. Andrew led our corporate practice from 2009 until 2019.
During Andrew’s first term, the firm has delivered sustained growth in both revenues and profit achieving 5% turnover growth to £62.2 million in the year to 30 April 2022.
Delivering on the firm’s strategic plan, Andrew has overseen investment in talent through the promotion of 13 colleagues to partner roles, and the appointment of an additional eight partners as lateral hires, adding additional strength and depth in core strategic areas including disputes, corporate, construction, real estate and energy.
Andrew’s first term has also seen the launch of Shepherd and Wedderburn’s Smarter Working innovation unit in 2019, focusing the firm’s expertise in process improvement, knowledge, automation, data and technology to deliver not just outstanding legal services, but solutions that help clients achieve their plans and ambitions. In September 2022, the Smarter Working team was named Support Team of the Year at the 2022 Scottish Legal Awards.
Andrew said: “I am honoured to have been re-elected as Managing Partner for a further term and look forward to working with the board to deliver our strategy. Current economic and geopolitical events may not make this easy, but we have laid good long-term foundations with investments in people, technology and offices. It is a privilege to work with our talented people and our clients, and I look forward to leading the firm to continued success in the coming years”.
Commenting on Andrew’s re-election, the firm’s Chair, Gillian Carty, said: “During his first term, Andrew successfully and deftly navigated the many challenges presented by the pandemic. As we move into the second year of the firm’s growth strategy, we are delighted that Andrew has been re-elected and believe that his leadership and commitment to our clients and our colleagues will take the firm from strength to strength.”
