Public Sector
Further Information

We are committed to servicing the legal and commercial needs of the public sector and have built strong relationships with our public sector clients through understanding their goals as well as their constraints. The firm has been ranked in the top tiers of legal advisers to local government by the two major legal directories, Chambers and The Legal 500.

Our Public Sector Group provides a focus for our public sector work and draws on specialists from across the firm who are regularly involved in advising public bodies. We provide commercial advice in areas such as:

In addition we advise public sector clients on a wide range of matters of particular interest to them, for example: 

  • Statutory powers and remit 
  • Judicial review and legal challenges 
  • Constitutional, governance and best practice 
  • Human rights 
  • Freedom of information 
  • Drafting legislation and bill amendments 
  • Outsourcing

Our public sector clients include: 

  • Aberdeenshire Council 
  • City of Edinburgh Council 
  • Department of Trade and Industry 
  • Department of Work and Pensions 
  • East Dunbartonshire Council 
  • East Renfrewshire Council 
  • Edinburgh University 
  • Glasgow City Council 
  • Glasgow Science Centre 
  • Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board 
  • Midlothian Council 
  • Ministry of Defence 
  • Scottish Enterprise 
  • Scottish Environment Protection Agency 
  • Scottish Legal Aid Board 
  • St Andrews University 
  • Water Industry Commission for Scotland 
  • Waterfront Edinburgh 
  • West Dunbartonshire Council 
  • Western Isles Council

"'[Shepherd and Wedderburn's Public Sector Group] instils confidence thanks to its professionalism, approachability and the quality of the staff,' clients report. Benefiting from a large public and private sector client base, the group also brings a 'superior level of knowledge' to the table, sources agree." Chambers UK 2007