Higgs strengthens commercial team

Scott Southall has joined as head of the commercial team at Higgs bringing a wealth of direct relatable experience to the firm.

He arrives at Higgs as partner having made the move from Triumph Motorcycles where he was group head of legal and compliance.

After qualifying as a solicitor in 2002, Scott went on to work in large commercial law firms for several years before moving in-house.

He said: “As an in-house lawyer, I worked in senior UK and international roles in many sectors, including manufacturing, automotive, FMCG/consumer goods, publishing/information, technology, food and drink and leisure/hospitality.

“Having been both the provider and purchaser of commercial legal services, I am well-placed to see things from the client’s perspective and quickly get to grips with what really matters.

“I was attracted to the role at Higgs by the firm’s strong reputation and ambitions and I’m really looking forward to working with the team and implementing my ideas. I am particularly excited at the prospect of helping to further strengthen our excellent client relationships through bringing the best elements of a ’trusted in-house legal advisor’ and business partnering approach to our provision of accessible commercial legal services.”

Mr Southall has advised on, negotiated and drafted a wide range of UK and cross-border commercial and trading agreements, acting for sellers and buyers in various contexts.

This has included working on high value, complex and bespoke arrangements as well as more standard ordinary course of business contracts. He has also led in the development and implementation of company-wide operating strategies, policies and procedures to cost-effectively reduce legal risk, achieve risk-based compliance and maximise brand and reputational protection.

John Heaton, head of the wider Business Services Department, said: “It’s great to have Scott on board. He knows what really counts in terms of tailoring commercial legal advice to clients and I have no doubt our client base will feel the benefit of his unique experience.”