DLA Piper expands finance offering with partner hire in Scotland

06/10/2021
Allan Leal and Stuart Murdoch, DLA Piper

DLA Piper announces the appointment of Allan Leal as a partner based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Allan has joined the firm’s Finance practice from local Scottish firm Burness Paull, where he has been a partner since 2018. Allan is a Scots and English law qualified lawyer with an excellent track record in advising both borrower and lender clients on a wide range of finance matters. His practice focuses on real estate finance, acquisition finance, trade finance, securitisation, restructurings, and fund finance, both domestically and internationally. He has previously worked for Herbert Smith Freehills in both London and Moscow, as well as running a successful family business.

DLA Piper’s Managing Partner in Scotland, Simon Rae, said: “Allan’s strong relationships and knowledge of the local market will be invaluable as we continue to grow our offering in Scotland. He has a strong record of working with domestic and international clients on complex matters and his arrival will allow us to expand our existing Finance practice and will help us to build on our successful track record both in Edinburgh and across our global platform.”

International Head of DLA Piper’s Finance, Projects & Restructuring group, David Trott, commented: “Allan’s arrival will enhance our penetration into the growing leveraged and real estate finance space. He has strong client relationships in Scotland and Europe, and will work closely with our existing team to capitalise further on market opportunities that we are seeing across our practice.”

With the appointment of Allan DLA Piper continues to expand its platform in Scotland. The firm recently hired partner Stuart Murdoch from Burness Paull, who specialises in financial services disputes and regulatory matters.

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