INDEPENDENT UK legal firm Shepherd and Wedderburn has relocated its Edinburgh headquarters to a new flagship development at Haymarket where it is leasing the top two floors.

The Grade A office development at 9 Haymarket Square, opposite Haymarket station, has an A Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating and aligns with Shepherd and Wedderburn’s commitment to growth and sustainability, and its pledge to be net zero for carbon emissions by 2030, the firm noted.

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Andrew Blain, managing partner of the Scottish-headquartered firm which also has offices in Glasgow, Aberdeen, London and Dublin, said: “With a focus on flexibility, the office design, combined with cutting-edge technology, allows us to respond efficiently to our clients’ needs and opportunities.”

Shepherd and Wedderburn delivers multi-jurisdictional legal advice across every business sector and provides the full range of private client services, with clients ranging from FTSE and Aim-listed companies to public sector organisations and individuals. It said it chose Haymarket because of its “excellent facilities, prime city-centre location, and the ease of access it offers our colleagues and clients using public transport”.

The firm’s partnership chair, Gillian Carty, added: “With spectacular 360-degree views of the city, the new office provides a sustainable, collaborative and modern hybrid workplace for our colleagues.”

Edinburgh has been a key driver of the commercial real estate market in Scotland with Glasgow also contributing to recent growth. It was announced yesterday that two prominent office buildings in Glasgow have changed hands for just over £18 million in two of the city’s biggest deals so far this year.

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New Amsterdam Invest has acquired 2-4 Blythswood Square for £9m and Sutherland House on St Vincent Street for a further £9.05m. Currently the Scottish headquarters of Chivas Brothers, 2-4 Blythswood Square is a Grade B-listed building with 27,125 square feet of office space spread over five floors.

Sutherland House, which is in Glasgow’s central business district and includes Murphy Wealth, law firm DAC Beachcroft, and recruiter Michael Page among its occupiers, is also a Grade B-listed building. It totals 39,378 square feet over nine storeys and has been extensively refurbished in recent years.