About us

Scotland’s Natural Capital, our natural assets and the services and value that come from them, is at the heart of so much of the work we carry out at Harper Macleod. How we nurture, protect, manage and make use of our natural ecosystem is fundamental to the country having a healthy and sustainable economy.

Much of the work we do involves helping in the development of communities, the rural and marine economies, and making the most of our Natural Capital. Nature-based solutions to climate change – renewable energy, forestry planting, peatland restoration, changes in farming practices and much more – are among the efforts to better look after our Natural Capital.

We put Climate Change at the heart of our practice. In 2019, Scotland declared a global emergency and set some of the world’s toughest climate change legislation, with a legal requirement to meet net zero carbon emissions by 2045. Our specialists throughout the firm advise organisations and businesses throughout Scotland and beyond on issues which affect and are affected by the need to make significant changes to the way we all do things.

Every year we host both the Scottish Highlands Renewable Energy Conference (SHREC) and the Scottish Highlands and Islands Rural Economy Conference (SHIRE) and we also celebrate and promote Scotland’s marine economy during our Marine Economy Week – all of which put a focus on Scotland’s abundance of Natural Capital.

In 2023 we were named ESG Firm of the Year at The Legal 500 Scotland Awards, and the first solely Scottish firm to be included in The Legal 500’s Green Guide for our approach to sustainability, climate action and net zero.

Business practices

Our environmental policy recognises our clear commitment to improving our business practices to make a positive impact on the environment. Through an environmental scan and audit process, and working in partnership with our key stakeholder groups, we recognise, evaluate and adopt “best practice” methods to minimise the impact of our business on the environment.

Click here to view our carbon reduction plan.

Greener Actions – litigating in a changing climate

Greener Actions is an ESG project aimed at reducing the environmental impact when resolving disputes in Scotland, within a framework of responsible Environmental, Social and Governance criteria.

Created and launched by Harper Macleod, it provides a forum for court users across the country to come together to identify areas in which we can use technology, innovation and legislation to reduce the carbon footprint of dispute resolution, and to form an action plan through which that change will be implemented.

We take great care in how we manage relationships with colleagues, suppliers, clients, and the communities in which we operate.

Wellbeing

Health and wellbeing is central to our culture. Our Wellbeing Group drives initiatives aimed at promoting positive mental & physical health through our active, mindful and healthy programme, as well as reinforcing our colleague engagement activities, all of which we encourage our people to share with family and friends. It creates an inclusive, healthy, safe and stimulating place to work.

Flexible working

We fully embrace the concept of work life balance and have a range of flexible working opportunities, with many of our colleagues working flexible, part time or reduced hours, and working from home. We were recognised as one of Scotland’s top flexible working employers to watch in 2021 (Flexible Employer Awards).

Investors in People

We are accredited by both Investors in People (Gold) and Investors in Young People (Gold).

The Gold IIYP rewards and recognise employers who demonstrate excellence in recruiting, developing and retaining young people.

We were awarded the highest level Gold in recognition of our Modern Apprenticeship programme, our work with schools and education providers, our summer placement and work experience programmes and the examples of young people who have progressed in the firm.

The IIP framework recognises organisations that lead, support and develop their workforce effectively and we have been recognised as an Investor In People since 1998, being the first commercial law firm in Scotland to be accredited.

Scottish Business Pledge

Harper Macleod is a Scottish Business Pledge Partner, which demonstrates our commitment to promoting fairness, equality, opportunity and innovation in Scotland. Through our Scottish Business Pledge we are committed to the Fair Work First framework.

Young Person’s Guarantee

Harper Macleod has committed to the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee, which aims to bring together employers, partners and young people by connecting 16 to 24 year olds in Scotland to an opportunity.

Diversity

Our aim is for our colleagues and clients to feel included, valued and nurtured within their business environment irrespective of their race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical and mental abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. We promote the importance of diversity internally and externally by developing our culture and our practice and we work hard to ensure that our colleagues are ambassadors for the firm when interfacing with the public.

We were awarded the Promoting Diversity – Large Employer of the Year Award at the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards 2021.

“The winner of this award is committed to supporting apprentices from all backgrounds to reach their full potential. They work with their learning provider and develop the young workforce to open up apprenticeship opportunities for Scotland’s young people, with particular focus on supporting those from more deprived areas into the world of work. And, through collaborating with equalities organisations, they support apprentices with additional support needs to succeed and progress in their careers. The firm also operates an equality diversity and inclusion group which delivers awareness, campaigns and events, and has positively impacted gender balance and diversity across their apprenticeships.”

Law schools

We encourage our lawyers to give something back to the profession, and many of our solicitors lecture at different universities throughout Scotland.

Community initiatives & pro bono advice

We get involved in initiatives in the community and use our skills and resources to support those in need and to improve access to justice. We provide a range of pro bono legal services to community and charitable organisations, in particular a longstanding partnership with the National Autistic Society Scotland to deliver the Education Rights Service to parents in Scotland. Since the alliance began in 2006 the firm has supported the service by providing free representation to scores of families and helping parents secure the educational support they need for their children.

A number of our people sit on the governing bodies of charitable and not-for-profit bodies, while all of our colleagues are given up to two CSR days per annum for charitable/voluntary work.

Harper Macleod meets rigorous governance standards, both as a regulated professional business and through the way it operates internally.

The firm has robust risk and compliance measures in place to meet its obligations in relation to issues including: cyber security; information security; bribery; data protection; money laundering; modern slavery and more.

The business is also structured in a way that provides transparency over decision making and financial performance and remuneration.