Family/Matrimonial
UK Guide 2025 : Scotland
Band 1
Contact number
0131 228 3777About
Provided by Brodies LLP
We are Scotland's largest family law team and deal with a comprehensive range of family law matters. We advise clients in complex and challenging circumstances, and adopt a constructive, strategic and solution orientated approach to our cases.
We have 21 accreditations across the team, including seven family law mediators, ten family law specialists, four child law specialists, a solicitor advocate and also a family law arbitrator.
Our focus remains on advising individuals separating or divorcing and providing creative solutions in high value, complex divorce and civil partnership dissolution cases, often with cross border and international dimensions.
We are sought out by high profile individuals for whom privacy and reputation management are paramount concerns. We regard court as the forum of the last resort, offering alternative methods to resolve disputes when suitable for the client, but we are tenacious and committed when we do litigate.
We have a thriving child law practice specialising in contentious and difficult child residence and contact disputes, adoption, international and cross -border relocation, declarators of parentage and non-parentage, cases involving assisted reproduction and international child abduction.
As part of Scotland’s largest full service law firm, we have the broadest range of in-house support from legal experts covering every area of law upon which our clients can rely.
Chambers Review
Brodies is a leading Scottish firm with a family team working across its offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. It demonstrates notable experience in cross-border matrimonial finance matters, often involving complex business and tax issues, as well as the negotiation of nuptial and cohabitation agreements. The team also handles a range of child matters including child abductions and disputes around residence and contact, as well as adoption and parentage issues. Brodies is well versed in alternative dispute resolution, housing experts in collaborative law, mediation and arbitration.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
"Brodies have the best team in Scotland with coverage right across the country. They are really strong on finance and children and have got very good bench strength."
"I was always impressed by the seamless handover from one person to the next. A change in staff never resulted in 'losing the page' in the overall story and I always felt in safe hands."
"I found them to be very knowledgeable and they explained things to me in every situation."
"The team is incredibly knowledgeable on all aspects of family law and the client service is fantastic. Queries were picked up and answered effectively and in a simple way which was easy to understand."
"Brodies have the best team in Scotland with coverage right across the country. They are really strong on finance and children and have got very good bench strength."
"I was always impressed by the seamless handover from one person to the next. A change in staff never resulted in 'losing the page' in the overall story and I always felt in safe hands."
"I found them to be very knowledgeable and they explained things to me in every situation."
"The team is incredibly knowledgeable on all aspects of family law and the client service is fantastic. Queries were picked up and answered effectively and in a simple way which was easy to understand."
Notable Practitioners
Shaun George is based in Aberdeen and handles a range of litigation, mediation and collaborative matters concerning family law, particularly in relation to high-value divorce and separation cases.
"Shaun George is superb - he is a very skilled and experienced practitioner."
"He has an extremely good manner with clients, giving good advice and direction - he is good at bringing clients on board with the advice he gives."
"An authority on family law who has a wealth of wisdom and experience."
"He is highly commercial and his pragmatic approach is welcomed by clients and respected by opponents. He is a go-to for cases with complex business assets."
Lisa Girdwood is based in the Glasgow office and handles a broad range of family matters, including high-value financial provision disputes, international residence cases and other child-related matters.
"Lisa Girdwood is a very effusive, empathetic lawyer who is very committed to her clients."
"Lisa is very easy to work with, hard-working and her understanding of the law is as complete as it can be."
"She is focused on moving matters forward in a productive way. As well as being technically knowledgeable on complex finances, she is sensitive when dealing with child cases."
"Lisa is one of the best lawyers I have ever worked with - she is meticulous, thorough, very able and has a very probing legal mind."
"Lisa provides enormous support to counsel when undertaking very difficult international cases. She is fabulous to work with and for."
Jacqueline Stroud is a highly regarded mediator and litigator who is regularly instructed on high-value financial proceedings. She is also adept at handling child contact and residence disputes.
"Her compassion, care for the client and ability to do the job stands out."
"Jacqueline is calm, clever and has a lovely bedside manner with clients. She is a go-to lawyer for high net worth clients."
Donna McKay is adept at handling a wide array of divorce and matrimonial finance matters. She is also an accredited family mediator.
"Donna has been amazing at guiding me through a very tough court process. She is very child-considerate and professional."
Susie Mountain is an Aberdeen-based partner and solicitor advocate who handles a wide range of family law cases. Her experience includes international child relocation and other cross-border matters.
"Susie is a very capable lawyer, a sensible negotiator and a good litigator."
"Susie has been an outstanding asset through the court process. She has an amazing knowledge of family law and I am very grateful to her."
Debbie Reekie is a senior associate who specialises in family law, advising on both the financial and child-related aspects of divorce and separation. She is a solicitor advocate as well as a trained collaborative lawyer and mediator.
Garry Sturrock is a senior associate based in Aberdeen. He has a broad family law practice with a particular focus on children law and is an accredited family mediator and collaborative lawyer.
"Garry is a very able advocate who can see lines of argument and has very good analytical skills."
"He is a very good negotiator who is good at children work."
Ranked Lawyers at
Brodies LLP
Scotland
Members
Provided by Brodies LLP