GILSON Gray, the full-service legal firm, is expanding its litigation service and celebrating a record number of promotions on the back of a series of successes in well-publicised cases.
The litigation division – which specialises in commercial litigation and public law – posted a 32% year-on-year increase in revenue, buoyed by its two recent wins in judicial reviews of City of Edinburgh Council policies.
Led by Rosie Walker, the first case successfully challenged the City of Edinburgh Council’s strip club ban, while the second overturned the local authority’s short-term lets licensing policy. The Gilson Gray team also had its first case heard at the UK Supreme Court earlier this year, as well as landing a number of new commercial actions.
On the back of these wins, Gilson Gray has made five promotions in its litigation team, with Iain Grant being made legal director, Lorna Davidson and Fraser Cameron appointed senior associates, and Caitlin Bell and Laura Brennan promoted to senior solicitor roles.
Last year, Gilson Gray recruited John Kydd as a litigation partner in Dundee, with plans to make further hires in the city and grow its presence in Aberdeen. The team has tripled to 16 since joining in 2015 from Morisons.
Rosie Walker, head of Litigation at Gilson Gray, said: “This has been our strongest year yet. Our public law offering has grown rapidly, regional expansion has been very successful, and we are seeing new instructions and client wins in all sectors, from energy businesses to trade unions. Representing and winning for Edinburgh’s sex workers was a particular highlight given the challenges of the case and the impact it had for our clients.
“At the heart of our success has been our close-knit team, which is why I am so delighted with our record number of well-deserved promotions. Some of us have worked together for over 20 years and all but one of the current round of promotions have been with us since the start of their traineeships.
“We’re particularly delighted with Iain Grant’s promotion. Iain has been with us since he was an 18-year-old office junior, working more or less full time through university, the Law Society professional qualification, and his traineeship. His promotion to legal director is testament to his hard work and our culture of team work.
“With more exciting projects on the horizon, we are continuing to grow and are actively looking to add to the team in the central belt, Dundee, and Aberdeen.”
