As revealed exclusively in The Firm in December, leading Scottish law firm McGrigor Donald has been rebranded simply as McGrigors, with the new name coming into effect from the beginning of this month.
Colin Gray, the firm\'s Chief Operating Officer, is confident that the benefits of having one common name and identity that runs across the firm\'s English, Scottish and Northern Irish offices will be considerable and will also pave the way for the pending separation of the KLegal firm from KPMG for regulatory reasons.
Speaking of the rebranding project, Gray said: \"Having one common name across the firm naturally has many advantages. It will give greater clarity and continuity to our profile, and both client and staff research has shown that McGrigors is a popular choice.\"
The new identity was unavailable as The Firm went to press, but a source close to the firm said that the new look is not a radical change from what has gone before.
The rebrand also comes as Philip Burroughs, the firm\'s Head of Real Estate, is appointed as the Head of the London office, following the departure of former London boss Nick Holt.
Burroughs, who has been with McGrigors for three years, after joining from Coudert Brothers, where he was also Managing Partner of the London office, will combine his new responsibilities in London with those of Head of Real Estate.
Gray said: \"We are delighted to be appointing Philip Burroughs to his new position and I am sure that under his leadership the office will continue to prosper. We look forward now to carrying on our strong start to the year, and continuing to grow the business in London, Scotland and Northern Ireland.\"
Speaking of his time at McGrigors, Holt said: \"It has been a fantastic experience to lead the firm through such challenging times, but it is now the right time for me to take a break and to consider fresh opportunities.\"
According to Gray, income for the first three months of their financial year to December 2003 rose by 5 per cent year on year, with the amount of referral work from KPMG more than doubling.\"