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Scotland

Europe

Committed to supporting businesses in an ever-changing landscape

As legal advisers and business partners, we are continually adapting how we do business to help our clients find new ways to succeed at a time when the Scottish economy is facing significant challenges.  We focus on ways to mitigate risk and harness innovation to ensure your organisation can make the most of opportunities.

Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow based lawyers are firmly embedded in their local markets and have the resources and infrastructure of a global organisation behind them.  With over 500 people here, we are serious about Scotland.

We have an exceptionally strong focus on businesses in Scotland that include start-ups, government bodies, manufacturers and investors.  We also work with some of the largest organisations operating around the globe.  Clients often tell us that our genuine ability to assemble the right teams, wherever they are located, sets us apart from other firms.  The expertise of over 5000+ lawyers in over 40 countries cities can be mobilised quickly to create the best team for every situation.

Committed to building a more sustainable world

At CMS we are committed to building a more sustainable, prosperous future for all.  In 2018 we became one of the first law firms to commit to set Science Based Targets. We have a dedicated programme of initiatives in place to reduce our emissions 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2030, across the full Scope 1, 2 and 3. This includes our offices in Scotland which are powered by 100% renewable energy. We are committed to being Net Zero by 2050 at the latest and are in the process of setting a long-term Science-based Target.

ESG factors have moved from being a niche concern to a strategic board level priority across all sectors and jurisdictions. We’re working with our clients - from multinationals to start ups – to help support their commitments in this rapidly evolving legal and regulatory landscape. 

Committed to our people and communities

And we are clear that our business is a people business. We have a culture of authenticity and inclusivity, encouraging everyone to be 100% themselves.  

Our commitment to Responsible Business lies at the heart of the firm and our purpose is to inspire, impact and support our clients, people, industry sectors and communities.  We design and deliver a wide range of activities to ensure there is something for everyone to get involved in.  Just some of our activities in Scotland include:

Guiding all our work are the UN Global Goals and our commitment to the UN Global Compact.

Find out how CMS in Scotland can help your business by contacting us now

We are proud of our consistent top tier rankings in our key specialisms such as Corporate/Commercial/M&A, Banking & Finance, Real Estate, IP/IT, Telecoms, Energy/Power/Oil & Gas, Dispute Resolution, Life Sciences/Healthcare, Infrastructure/Projects, Public Sector, Education, Hospitality & Tourism and Transport.

Please contact one of our specialists below at any time:


Our Strategic Secondment Unit offers an experienced team of lawyers dedicated to directly support our client secondment requirements.  This unique approach offers Scottish clients a full-time, permanent CMS team of specialist lawyers with private practice experience across a range of sectors.  Find out more here.

You can also view our CMS Scotland brochure.

CMS Scotland brochure cover - picture of Forth Rail Bridge

 

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12/06/2024
On Point: CMS Scotland's Annual Business Conference 2024
Driving Scotland’s Growth
ESG: Not as easy as ABC
Fintech
Supporting Scotland's ecosystem

Feed

23/01/2025
Energy from Waste: The Republic
We are delighted to invite you to the third of four conferences we are holding on the lifecycle of an Energy from Waste Project taking place on Thursday 23 January 2025. Con­fer­ence Three: The Republic The previous conferences have covered a wide-range of issues. “The Re­pub­lic” con­fer­ence will develop these themes further to consider the key operational challenges currently facing Energy from Waste Projects and over the next decade.  Join us for another lively panel discussion, followed by networking drinks in our London of­fice.   Please register for the event by clicking the button below.
23/01/2025
Skills For Future Facing Teams: How to articulate the value of the in-house...
This is the third and fi­nal ses­sion in our Legal Project Leadership seriesAre you perceived as a business blocker or a business enabler? A business partner or a reactive adviser? It can be challenging for in-house legal teams to get their true value across to the business. This session aims to help you overcome some of these challenges and misconceptions by improving the way you communicate with stakeholders about the projects you are leading.   In particular we will explore how to:bridge the gap between legal and the businessdefine and communicate the value of projectsreport on and communicate progress in a way that engages stakeholders - leading to improved relationships and better results!
16/01/2025
Skills For Future Facing Teams: How to manage your project stakeholders...
This session is the second in a three-part series facilitated by the CMS Legal Operations and Project Management Team.  We'll take a look at: why you need to identify your different stakeholders and their rolesthe importance of understanding stakeholder needs and prioritieshow to engage and plan communications, based on your stakeholders’ re­quire­ment­stools which can contribute to improved accountability and engagementhow to facilitate effective meetings for different stakeholder groups
09/01/2025
Skills For Future Facing Teams: Legal project leadership for in-house teams
Our clients tell us that Legal Project Management is an increasingly important skill for their teams. This session is the first in a three-part series facilitated by the CMS Legal Operations and Project Management Team. It aims to help you:understand the key principles of legal project management, and how these improve ef­fi­ciency ap­proach the scoping and planning of a matter in a structured and consistent wayunderstand how to identify and engage with important project stake­hold­er­s­man­age and report on projects and matters ef­fect­ively­un­der­stand the resources and tech solutions available to support your pro­jects un­der­stand the importance of feedback and project reviews
10/12/2024
Construction Focus On: Maximising NEC
The NEC suite of contracts has evolved significantly since its initial publication and the contracts have become widely used across the UK. During this seminar we will be exploring untapped opportunities within NEC contracts looking at underused provisions and effective management of claims to maximise the value of your contracts.
10/12/2024
CMS Media Update Morning
Our popular Media Update Morning will now be taking place on Tuesday 10 December at our CMS London office. We look forward to welcoming you in person to discuss a range of topical areas in­clud­ing:  Me­dia Law Update, which will include an update on the implementation of the Media Act – Victoria Gaskell, Sam Oustayiannis, John Enser, Alexander BouchierFilm and TV tax credit regime – Rebekah HayesThe busy world of advertising regulation – Stuart HelmerThe threat from patent licensing programs on the media sector – Caitlin HeardLiability quiz – Laurence Kalman and Eliza CohenPlease do come early and join us for coffee and breakfast. As ever, the content will be tailored for the media industry, and we invite you to submit any specific questions in advance by emailing us here. If you have not yet registered and would like to attend, please click the button below.  
05/12/2024
Increasing the GMC’s scope of regulation but at what cost?
Background: reforms to regulatory frameworksThe UK’s healthcare regulatory landscape is currently undergoing significant change, with various reforms expected to improve how healthcare professionals...
03/12/2024
High street rental auctions - non-statutory guidance published
SummaryFollowing the coming into force of the legislation for high street rental auctions on 2 December 2024, the Government has now published its non-statutory guidance on the operation of this new regime...
03/12/2024
UK Government’s 2025 Statutory Levy on Gambling Operators
The UK government has published its response to the consultation on the structure, distribution, and governance of the statutory levy on gambling operators.  It is set to introduce the statutory levy...
03/12/2024
CMS advises Cavalry on USD 26m Series B funding round in AMPECO
CMS has advised Cavalry on its investment in leading EV charging management platform provider AMEPCO. The round was led by Revaia, with BMW i Ventures, and LAUNCHub Ventures also investing. AMPECO's white-label...
03/12/2024
CMS Expert Guide to International Arbitration
We live in a connected global environment where the number and complexity of international transactions is ever increasing.  As a consequence, the policies and activities in one area of the world can...
02/12/2024
European Commission publishes draft notice on the EU Taxonomy Regulation
On 29 November 2024, the European Commission published a draft notice, in the form of FAQs, on the interpretation and implementation of certain legal provisions of the Delegated Acts to the EU Taxonomy...