Scottish law firm Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP (WJM) has expanded with a new office in Aberdeen – with a transfer of staff agreement from Burness Paull.
WJM – which has offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Dunblane and Galashiels – has opened its North East base on Marischal Square in the heart of the city.
The Aberdeen office will specialise in private client services, headed up by partners Colin McKenzie and Fiona Clarke who will lead a team of six.
Fraser Gillies, managing partner at WJM, said: “This is an exciting development and a great step forward for our firm, strengthening and growing our private client offering.
“We anticipate more demand than ever this year in the private client sphere, driven by a number of factors from inheritance tax changes to regulatory changes, so our new base in the Granite City will ensure we have even more experts available across a wider area.
“This strategic base will also provide room for growth in other areas. In the short term, over the next few months, we will grow the Aberdeen team, and further down the line we intend to introduce additional service lines and sector specialisms.”
The new private client team joins WJM under an agreed transfer from Burness Paull.
Peter Lawson, Chair at Burness Paull, said: “We are grateful for the many years of excellent service our private client team have provided to our firm and our clients. They transfer to WJM with our very best wishes. In line with our wider strategy, we will not be continuing to provide private client services.”
Colin McKenzie, who previously headed up Burness Paull’s private client division, has a background in corporate law, with specialisms including acting for high net worth individuals, family businesses, international affairs, investment and advising on issues such as restructuring and business ownership transfers.
Partner Fiona Clarke brings extensive experience in succession and tax planning, particularly regarding complex estate administration, wills, powers of attorney, executries and estate administration, trusts and family investment companies.