Welcome to The Property Standardisation Group
Latest Updates
September 2021
We are delighted to have won the Outstanding Achievement Award at the 18th annual Scottish Legal Awards held on Thursday 23 September 2021.
This award recognises our work over the last 20 years, in creating over 95 documents for all lawyers to use during property transactions. It recognises the contributions of all of the members and consultees of the PSG, present and past. We are grateful to the judging panel and to property lawyers and our other advocates in Scotland for their support.
Who are we
The PSG was formed in 2001 to produce agreed forms of documents and procedures for Scottish commercial property transactions.
The PSG was formed by four law firms, CMS (formerly known as Dundas & Wilson), Dentons (formerly known as Maclay Murray & Spens), Pinsent Masons (formerly known as McGrigors), and Shepherd and Wedderburn because we were concerned that too much time was being spent negotiating forms of documentation and trying to agree procedures which were not contentious but each firm had its own way of doing things to achieve the same end.
The PSG see the benefits of standardising documents and procedures as:
- avoiding wasting time on minutiae, allowing solicitors to concentrate on the things that really matter in the transaction
- speeding up the whole process for the benefit of the clients and also making transactions more profitable, and
- managing risk.
The PSG has been assisted by other firms carrying out commercial property work in reviewing the documents produced. The PSG are grateful for the input received from Addleshaw Goddard, Anderson Strathern, Burness Paull, Church of Scotland Legal Department, DLA, DWF, Ennova Law, Gillespie Macandrew, Harper Macleod, Ledingham Chalmers, Morton Fraser, Property Litigation Association, Shoosmiths, Thorntons, TLT, Urquharts, and Wright Johnston & Mackenzie. The clear aim is however to agree forms of documentation and procedure which can be used by all firms engaged in commercial property work, not merely restricted to the firms involved in the PSG to date.
What we do
In the various sections of this website you will find details of standardised documents which the PSG has produced already. PSG documentation is branded and accompanying guidance notes may be freely used in accordance with our standard Terms and Conditions (see below). We regularly liaise with the Law Society of Scotland, the Scottish Property Federation and other property bodies with a view to sharing views and information about our activities. Production of new documents and material changes to existing documents are highlighted in the Journal of the Law Society of Scotland. The PSG will be delighted to hear from other firms who are interested in its aims.
Awards
- Winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Scottish Legal Awards in 2021;
- Project Team of the Year award at The 5th Cuthbert Scottish Legal Awards in 2007;
- Highly Commended in the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards in 2006;
- Innovation in Legal Services Award at The Firm Law Awards of Scotland in 2005.
Contact us:
- ann.stewart@shepwedd.com
- rachel.oliphant@pinsentmasons.com
- kirsten.partridge@cms-cmno.com
- paul.haniford@dentons.com
If you experience any difficulty in navigating this website or accessing documents, please contact a member of the PSG for assistance.