Tue, 08 Apr 2025 | BUSINESS SALE
Legal services group Holmes Mackillop has acquired the private client and property business of D&J Dunlop, introducing a full-service law firm to Ayrshire.
The acquisition sees Holmes Mackillop relocate its Prestwick office into D&J Dunlop’s premises at 2 Barns Street, Ayr, from where it continues to serve new and existing Ayrshire clients.
Husband and wife team Peter and Pauline McNamara join the expanded team from Ayr-based Lockharts Law as director and head of the Ayr office and executry paralegal respectively.
A specialist in commercial and rural property, with a wealth of experience in housebuilding, agriculture, renewable energy and leasing transactions, Peter McNamara is STEP qualified and a member of the Association of Tax Technicians and the Chartered Institute of Taxation.
Pauline McNamara is also experienced in preparing wills and powers of attorney. Both will be based in the Ayr office full time.
“Both Pauline and myself are looking forward to continuing to serve the clients of D&J Dunlop in the same professional and helpful manner that they are already accustomed to, and to bringing the wealth of experience and expertise offered by Holmes Mackillop to new and existing clients alike,” said McNamara.
Ayr local, Holmes Mackillop director and head of corporate, Ralph Riddiough, will also be spending much of the working week operating from the Ayr office.
“Having grown up in Ayr, the town where I live, and having worked as a solicitor in Ayr for several years, I’m delighted to introduce our corporate expertise to the local business community, alongside the broad spectrum of legal services we can offer clients in Ayrshire from our office network,” he said.
“Following our acquisition of D&J Dunlop’s long-established private client and property practice, we intend to invest further in the local economy with an ambitious recruitment drive in the Ayr office to enhance and expand the level of service we deliver to the local community.
“Holmes Mackillop has worked closely with Peter over many years, and he has been a loyal referrer of conflict and specialist work to the practice, including in relation to corporate, employment, family law and civil court matters.
“He will be an extremely safe pair of hands to head up the Ayr office and lead the property and private client teams, as well as creating work for other specialists as we seek to grow the practice in Ayr.”
With more than 240 years of experience, Holmes Mackillop has a long history of delivering a broad spectrum of legal services to clients from offices in Glasgow City, Glasgow Southside, Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East and South Renfrewshire.
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