Anderson Strathern has been ‘highly commended’ in the prestigious FT Innovative Lawyers Report 2010, the Financial Times ranking of Europe’s most innovative law firms.

We are the only Scottish law firm recognised in the category for 'Innovation in Climate Change and Sustainability' for our work with The Crown Estate in the completion of agreements for lease for the world’s first commercial wave and tidal electricity projects in the Pentland Firth and Orkney waters. Anderson Strathern is ranked alongside international law firms De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, Herbert Smith and Burges Salmon.

Robert Carr, Chairman at Anderson Strathern, said:
“Innovation is at the core of our strategy and this prestigious award is testament to our hard work and commitment to quality service which makes us one of the most innovative law firms in Europe.”

Anderson Strathern’s team working on The Crown Estate project was led by partners Gavin Thain, Deborah Lovell and Alan Menzies, and solicitor Dixcee Fast, with support from the firm’s real estate and corporate groups.

Gavin Thain said:
“We are delighted to have been recognised in the FT Innovative Lawyers Report for our work on this fascinating project.  Unlike wind power, wave and tidal power is an industry yet to be developed on a commercial scale making the challenges quite different. The Crown Estate and developers worked together to create a framework for the development of technology.

From a lawyer’s perspective it is a unique privilege to be involved in what is virtually the birth of an industry – especially one so central to the economic development of Scotland, not to mention the climate change questions facing us all. Being unique, the project created its own legal challenges that required innovative solutions to problems that had not been considered at a commercial or legal level before”.