Meet the team

About Susan

Susan is a Partner in our Rural Services Team and is involved in all aspects of Rural Property and Planning Law, with a particular focus on development matters. She has a background in commercial matters acting for rural clients, including acting for both land owners and developers, which means she can provide complete advice to her clients on both the preferred course of action from the landowner’s perspective, as well as anticipating issues developers may have and addressing them at an early stage. She has drafted and negotiated many contracts for development, for acquisition and disposal, option agreements, overage agreements and provided advice on the legal aspects of associated planning matters.

Susan is also the lead Partner in advising Scottish Water on their property matters. This includes the acquisition of land, creation of rights and leases required to improve Scotland’s water and drainage infrastructure. Susan and her team have also advised them on their renewable project and disposal program.

Susan is also experienced in the renewable sector. She acts for both landowners and developers in wind farm projects and understands the issues that matter to her clients. She understands the numerous documents that are required to fund renewable projects and her drafting and negotiating of these is both commercial and sensible to get deals completed with ease. At present she is leading the team in 2 major wind farm projects for a larger windfarm developer, the largest being a proposed 500m MW windfarm with approximately 80 turbines, spanning 18 landowners.

On technical aspects, Susan has been instrumental in setting up a working group from all property teams at Lindsays to examine the implications of the Land Registration Etc. (Scotland) Act 2012 and put in place firm-wide procedures to deal with the changes and lower any risk to clients. She is familiar with the implications of the 2012 Act for, in particular, historic titles and development matters, where the ultimate proprietor shall be an individual plot owner. Susan anticipates, from the outset, requirements to see a deal to conclusion and uses her knowledge to ensure that the legal aspects are all dealt with properly and timeously to avoid any unnecessary delays or protracted negotiations. Her input on the commercial aspects and negotiations has also been invaluable to her clients in meeting their goals.

Susan is also a non-executive member of the Lindsays management board, having been re-appointed until 2021, and is involved in the Firm’s on-going management and strategic matters.

Expertise