Family/Matrimonial

Janys Scott KC is an outstanding silk who is recognised for her roles in leading cases. She regularly acts for clients in complex financial provision cases with overseas assets, as well as maintenance variations across different jurisdictions. She is particularly well known for the breadth of her expertise in children matters involving the Hague Convention, deprivations of liberty and children's hearings.

"Janys is reliably exceptional. Her intelligence, guidance and efficiency are all superb."

"Janys is superbly well organised. She can home in on difficulties, and she recognises how to be pragmatic and achieve an outcome for a client. She is very easy to work with."

"She is the queen of family law. Her work ethic, level of knowledge and skill set are outstanding. Janys is dedicated to her craft, hugely experienced and very knowledgeable."

"Janys is a walking encyclopaedia of Scottish family law. She's very strong in all areas, but particularly adept with anything unusual or breaking new ground. She is clear and direct in her advice."

"Janys is the leading KC in Scotland, for now and for many years. She continues to work incredibly hard and is always thoroughly prepared. She leaves no stone unturned in her preparation of cases."

Lynda Brabender KC is a highly respected silk with expertise across finance and children matters. She offers particular prowess in high net worth financial provision cases involving farming and pension assets as well as complex children cases, including judicial reviews.

"Lynda has great oral advocacy and persuasion. She is always expertly well prepared and has thought about angles we haven't considered. She gives clients a great deal of assurance."

"Lynda is an outstanding advocate. Her attention to detail and knowledge of the brief are second to none, and her advocacy skills are among the best I have observed. She is just fantastic."

"She is one of the best. It's obvious that she is very knowledgeable about the legal framework and law in this area. She is very practical and able to dispel the issues into the bigger picture."

"Lynda has a unique ability to combine warmth and reassurance to her clients with rigorous advocacy. Her legal ability is exceptional."

"She has an incredible ability to assimilate huge amounts of complex information quickly and analyse it from multiple different angles. Her manner with clients is very reassuring."

Rachel Shewan has considerable experience and continues to be recognised for her expertise as an advocate in family law. She regularly deals with child abduction, relocation and contact arrangements, with a focus on Hague Convention cases. She also capably handles financial provision cases with complex asset structures in the Sheriff Courts.

"She is bright and able to assimilate information quickly. You come away from any and all interactions with Rachel with the confidence that you have everything you need to fight your client's case."

"From the get-go, Rachel has been an effective and brilliant advocate. She instils confidence in clients."

"Rachel is calmly efficient and effective. She knows her way around the law and gives clients a strong sense of safety and confidence."

"She is calm, considerate and careful to listen to the client's wishes. She is responsive and very competent."

Ruth Innes KC is widely considered to be one of the leaders for high-value financial provision cases, especially those involving complex asset and income structures. Her varied experience also covers highly complex children work, including cross-border work regarding the Hague Convention and sibling rights under the ECHR.

"Ruth is universally respected for her unparalleled abilities of analysis, advocacy, service and pragmatism. There isn't a skill that Ruth doesn't have."

"I don't think that her attention to detail can be matched. She is also excellent on her feet."

"Ruth is incredibly efficient and an absolute delight to work with. She works collaboratively with her instructing agents. Her attention to detail and her technical knowledge are superb."

"Ruth is superb. She has serene and unflashy brilliance. She has astonishing work ethic and efficiency, and a grasp of both the big picture and fine details. It's a joy to work with her."

Alison Wild is an excellent junior with particular strength in highly contentious children matters. She regularly acts for parents, for children and as curator ad litem in international adoption, relocation and contact arrangement cases. She also has expertise in handling finance matters, including high-value divorces which involve farming dynamics.

"Alison is very personable and down to earth. She is very easy to work with. Her advocacy is very clear, well prepared and thorough, and she stays calm under pressure."

"Alison is a quietly determined and hard-working family law expert. Her guidance was invaluable, and she proved to be an essential part of the team."

"She is knowledgeable and approachable, and she takes a pragmatic approach to negotiations."

Amy Donachie has an impressive, growing practice in family law. She has significant experience in habitation matters and permanence orders. She is also frequently sought out to act in finance-related family law proceedings.

"Amy's preparation is diligent and thoughtful. Her advocacy is robust and skilful."

"She is very empathetic with clients in a way that they appreciate, and she's quite formidable when she's on her feet."

"Amy works exceptionally well with clients to consider their overall needs and how best to resolve actions."

"She is becoming recognised as a go-to junior for financial provision and child law cases."

Emily Bradbury maintains a highly regarded family law practice, and she is particularly noted for her advocacy in child law disputes. She routinely handles complex mandates in this field, including Hague Convention cases, international abductions and child contact mandates. Her work covers parental dynamics such as parental alienation and abuse, among others.

"Emily has a very pleasant manner with clients; she is attentive to their needs and responsibilities. She is creative in finding solutions that will meet their needs and circumstances."

"Emily is a hard-working and dedicated advocate.She is responsive and highly knowledgeable.She is a robust, no-nonsense litigator but still endeavours to find creative solutions where possible."

"Emily is very good with clients. She's always keen to find a solution, even in the most difficult cases. She is persistent in wanting to represent the client's interest, and good on her feet in court."

"She is incredibly hard-working, committed and a good advocate. Emily knows how to get the point across in a way that will advance her client's case."

"She is very good with clients. Her advocacy skills are great, and she is very good at conveying complex issues to the court. Her knowledge of complex issues in child matters is excellent."

Robert Hayhow KC is a brilliant advocate with considerable strength across the full spectrum of financial issues during separations. He is particularly well versed in handling complex financial provision cases with various asset structures and multi-jurisdictional proceedings.

"Robert is astonishingly well prepared. He is concise and able to ask the right questions and frame them very well. He gives commercially aware advice in a way that clients understand."

Scott McAlpine is a leading advocate for children and financial matters. He is regularly involved in complex children cases including Hague Convention and ECHR rights for children. He is further noted for his expertise in financial provision and maintenance payments cases involving various asset structures.

"Scott is good with clients and strategy-driven. He can pick apart where we need to ultimately get to. He is brilliant and my number one choice; he's a powerhouse."

"He has a phenomenal memory and is certainly someone who is good on their feet and has a broad understanding of the law."

"Scott is empathetic but straight-talking with clients. He can condense complicated scenarios into easy-to-digest sections for clients who are often emotional and stressed."

"Scott is a superb advocate: well informed, tenacious and conscientious."

"Scott is excellent on his feet, sharp and someone who we very much enjoy working with."