Mike Sutherland
November 16, 2018
TWO OF THE BEST KNOWN FIRMS IN WEST FIFE AND KINROSS JOIN FORCES
1st September saw two of the best known firms in West Fife and Kinross join forces. Macbeth Currie, which can trace its roots in Fife back to 1885 merged with Morgans, which celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year. The merger will see the Dunfermline and Kinross legal, lettings and estate agency business of Macbeth Currie transfer to Morgans. The merged business now practices under the Morgans name. Two of the partners of Macbeth Currie, John Bain in Dunfermline, and Ken Paterson in Kinross, have joined Morgans as Consultants.
The close connection between the two firms is nothing new. Morgans was established in 1993 by Blair Morgan, who, until then, had been a senior partner of Macbeth Currie. He was soon joined by the current senior partner of Morgans, Craig Bennet, who had undertaken his training at Macbeth Currie under the watchful eyes of Blair, John Bain and Ken Paterson. It therefore seemed a natural choice to join forces when some of the partners of Macbeth Currie were looking to pass on the business of the firm to a safe pair of hands when planning their retirements from practice.
The Morgans office at 33 East Port, Dunfermline has become the new home for the Dunfermline business of Macbeth Currie. Isabel Barclay, Letting Manager, and Des Baxter Senior Associate will make the move to our East Port Branch. The Kinross office of Macbeth Currie (62 High Street), which will undergo refurbishment, will be rebranded with the Morgans name. In Kinross the Morgans name may not be as familiar as it is in Dunfermline however, Ken Paterson along with Margaret Scott, Wendy McEwan and Angela Prescott will ensure that it is business as usual and will continue to provide the same high quality service, without interruption, to clients old and new.
Practice Manager of Morgans, Caroline Potter, who is overseeing the rebranding, commented “As part of our continued growth ambitions the firm underwent a rebranding at the start of 2018. This coincided with a major refurbishment of our offices at 33 East Port which included the acquisition of another floor of office space. This has given us the capacity for expansion. Macbeth Currie is a respected and trusted name. The solicitors and staff who have joined us from Macbeth Currie have become part of a firm committed to providing a high quality service focused not on just meeting our clients’ expectations but surpassing them. We plan the transition of all client business to Morgans to be a smooth operation”
Morgans provides a wide range of legal, property letting, estate agency and financial services. The firm has an enviable reputation as trusted advisers offering a high quality service. Welcoming her new colleagues from Macbeth Currie, Claire Morgan, Managing Partner, commented “Our 25th Anniversary has seen something of a growth spurt for Morgans. In summer 2017 Brian Tait, formerly a partner at Drummond Miller LLP, joined the firm as part of the expansion of our litigation and family law services. At the beginning of 2018 we acquired more office space. Our litigation and family law department is now housed in our smart offices accessed from Walmer Drive. Our reception, estate agency and lettings departments have all been refurbished providing more space and a bright, open working environment for our colleagues. Our two trainee solicitors, Jennifer Caldwell and Amina Suhail, both qualified this summer and will remain with us as solicitors in our conveyancing and private client departments respectively. Allan Galbraith has joined us as a trainee solicitor and will commence his training by assisting John Morris in conveyancing. Our new colleagues arriving from Macbeth Currie expand our litigation, private client, conveyancing, lettings and estate agency offerings. John Bain, who is a much respected litigator and family lawyer, will join Brian Tait and Russel McPhate in Dunfermline. Des Baxter, who specialises in residential conveyancing joins our conveyancing team in Dunfermline. Both have brought their current case loads with them. It’s be business as usual for Ken Paterson, who specialises in conveyancing and private client, and his team in Kinross but under the Morgans brand name. It is an exciting time for the firm and I am very much looking forward to working with our new colleagues.”
Existing clients of Macbeth Currie and former clients who have their wills and title deeds held by Macbeth Currie can expect to hear individually from Morgans in the coming weeks. The telephone number for the Kinross office remains unchanged (01577 863424) and the office email address is kinross@morganlaw.co.uk. The telephone numbers for Macbeth Currie’s Dunfermline High Street and East Port offices remain unchanged but have been diverted to Morgans. Morgans telephone number is 01383 620222. Full details of the legal services offered by the combined firms can be found on the firm’s website www.morganlaw.co.uk. All enquiries from Macbeth Currie clients can be made to macbethcurrie@morganlaw.co.uk although existing email addresses for Macbeth Currie Dunfermline and Kinross staff transferring to Morgans will continue to be accessed and monitored for a period of time to ensure continuity.
According to the 
(pictured), brings his many years of experience in all aspects of civil, family and criminal litigation. He works alongside Partners, Brian Tait and Russel McPhate. Something of a “Father of the House” at Dunfermline Sheriff Court, John is undoubtedly one of the most experienced and respected solicitors in the area. The majority of his practice is in the field of family law where he is regularly appointed by the court as a Child Welfare Reporter and curator ad litem in difficult cases of adoption, permanence and child welfare issues. John provides advice on all matters of civil litigation including guardianship. Throughout his career John has maintained an interest in criminal law. An able criminal defence solicitor John is on the Duty Solicitor roll at Dunfermline Sheriff Court. John will be a familiar face to Macbeth Currie clients where he worked for 37 years. We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have attracted a solicitor of John’s experience and calibre. John can be contacted on 01383 629822.