Among the new faces is Chris Clarkson, a commercial property specialist who joins as a legal director from Burness Paull. Clarkson advises clients on a range of property transactions, including lease management, acquisitions and disposals, property finance and secured lending. Morton Fraser’s litigation division is joined by senior associates Alastair Johnston and Sofia Crolla, to support a growing demand for advice on contentious construction claims, and in personal injury claims. The other hires announced this month are Alan Burns, who joins as an associate in the firm’s agricultural and rural property team, and Emma Wright, who joins as a senior solicitor in the private client division. Morton Fraser employs more than 260 people and has offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow, with links internationally to a further 160 law firms. Chief executive Chris Harte said: “Investing in our people is fundamental to our continued success. Our focus on talent sets us apart in the legal market, and ensures that our clients benefit from having access to the best legal advice available. In recent months, we have invested in new technology to make hybrid working more efficient and new offices in Glasgow designed for collaborative working, as well as growing our staff bonus pool by 50 per cent versus the last financial year.” Meanwhile, national law firm Shoosmiths has hailed an “exceptional performance” by its corporate team, having advised on more than 400 transactions with an aggregate deal value of £5 billion from January to December 2022. Corporate activity levels remained elevated throughout last year, the firm noted, with the corporate team working across a record number of deals spanning private equity, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and venture capital - many with a strong cross-border element. Alison Gilson, corporate partner and head of Shoosmiths office in Edinburgh, said: “In Scotland, we have responded to this healthy UK-wide deals flow by investing further in our resources to support a strong client bank and pipeline of corporate activity. We also have plans to open our new Edinburgh office at Haymarket Edinburgh later this year.”