Gillespie Macandrew WS has underlined its expansion ambition by completing a merger with Hunters, Edinburgh’s fastest growing solicitor/estate agency.
The union with Hunters allows Gillespie Macandrew to substantially expand its already fast-growing residential estate agency business following mergers with other Edinburgh-based legal firms in recent years.
The new company - which will trade under the name Hunters, part of Gillespie Macandrew – now sits in third place in the league table of annual residential property sales compiled by the highly-influential Edinburgh Solicitors’ Property Centre (ESPC).
Simon Leslie, senior partner at Gillespie Macandrew, said the Hunters merger means they now have a major property operation to rival any legal firm in the country.
He said: “The merger not only creates a leading residential property team but also enables clients to have access to a huge pool of legal resources all under one roof.
“We firmly believe in developing long-term client care relationship through a holistic approach. That means that as well has having the best estate agency team working to sell your house, you can have access to a skilled team to handle conveyancing as well as financial and investment advice, covering everything from wills, tax and financial planning to family and business law.
“Our class-leading depth of expertise in rural and commercial property – we currently represent more than a million acres of industrial, rural and sporting estates - means anyone who comes to us initially to sell their house, knows they can also work closely with us if they are looking to move business premises or invest in rural land. It’s an impressive added value service that we can offer.
“This is a really exciting time for Gillespie Macandrew. We have more than doubled in size in the last two years and this merger is yet another illustration of our determination to maintain this impressive growth as we look to the future.”
Gillespie Macandrew, which recently moved into new offices in Edinburgh’s Atholl Crescent ranks in the top 30 legal firms in Scotland and specialises in property, business, litigation, financial advice and private client work. The firm represents a range of household names, leading charities, institutions and landowners.
Following mergers with Edinburgh legal firms Menzies Dougal, Bennett & Robertson and Garden Haig between 2004-2005, the company has steadily expanded its three specialist property divisions. Half of the firm’s 21 partners are engaged in property business with revenue for this sector alone earning £5m out of an expected £8m turnover figure.
Hunters, which has a large property shop in Morningside Road, enjoyed its best ever year in 2005, with total value of property sold jumping from £77,529,831 to £86,929,859.
The new operation will operate out of the Morningside Road office with a team of 15 estate agency staff under the leadership of Wilson Hunter, who will be lead partner for the firm’s estate agency operation.
Mr Hunter, who founded the original Hunters business in 1998, said the service offered to buyers and sellers by the new merged firm will be second to none.
He said: “This merger allows us to provide an even bigger and better service to clients that will be hugely beneficial to them and allow us to continue to develop.
“We see the real growth potential in Edinburgh in the £250,000 to £700,000 property price range and with our skilled, expanded team we are ideally placed to make significant inroads.
“I hope that before long Hunters, part of Gillespie Macandrew, will be the dominant force in the Edinburgh residential property scene.”