Big Names Added to our Roster

A DOUBLE appointment at our Glasgow office has further bolstered our pool of talent.

Joining our team, Shirley Li-Ting and Laura Burns add to the ongoing growth across Gilson Gray’s services, fresh from their roles at Maclay Murray & Spens and Harper McLeod respectively. They will both split their time between their Glasgow base and the Edinburgh office.

With more than 16 years of professional experience, Shirley joins as a Senior Associate within the Business Restructuring and Recovery and Corporate teams where she will work closely with Heads of Division, Craig Darling and Derek Hamill.

Originally from Glasgow, she began her law career with DLA Piper before becoming a Director at Maclay Murray & Spens.  Shirley is highly regarded in the Restructuring market and has a breadth of experience across a number of sectors making her a key addition to Gilson Gray.

Shirley said: “I admire the story behind the set-up of the firm and the journey they have been on so far.  The next phase of the journey will be an important one so it is an exciting time to be joining.

“What attracted me to Gilson Gray was the following: The firm knows exactly where it is going and has a solid and defined plan to get there. Gilson Gray fully recognizes that its people are core to its business and that without its people, there is no business. Gilson Gray’s ethos and culture is refreshing and I am really looking forward to working with a team of likeminded people.”

The firm has also swooped for Laura Burns, who will take over as Head of Private Client as an Associate following six years with some of the country’s biggest names and specialist private client firms. Laura’s appointment takes the full service firm’s headcount to 103.

Having qualified from Strathclyde University, Burns will make the move from Harper McLeod to work directly with Managing Partner Glen Gilson.

She said: “Gilson Gray is making its mark in the industry and is emerging as a force to be reckoned with. In seeking to be the best option for clients across its services has also had very deserving commercial success.

“The opportunity for development in my own career and with the firm is fantastic and I am excited to become a part of the team. It is fantastic to finally have a Scottish legal firm that offers top talent associated with the biggest firms, but from a more personable, reactive business.”

Born and raised in Glasgow’s Southside, Laura will be based at Gilson Gray’s West George Street office and will split her time between there and its recently expanded Edinburgh office.

She recently became STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners) qualified. Membership is considered a mark of excellence and the society is recognised internationally for the high professional standards of its practitioners – specialising in family inheritance and succession planning.

Glen Gilson, Managing Partner at Gilson Gray, said: “Our ethos is to give every single client the opportunity to work with the best legal talent in Scotland – and with Shirley and Laura we are very much continuing that.

“The knowledge and experience they both bring to their fields is exemplary and they are shining examples of what we do best.

“Both these areas of expertise are integral to our full-service ethos so it is vital that we have this level of pedigree to help safely move things forward.”

The most recent appointments closely follow the launch of the firm’s Family Law division, which was facilitated by the recruitment of two of the most respected names in the sector, Philippa Cunniff and Sally Nash.

Gilson Gray opened as the largest full service law firm launch in Scottish legal history, with a portfolio of talent poached from the leading firms in Scotland – opening simultaneously in Glasgow (160 West George Street) and Edinburgh (29 Rutland Square) with a radical client-focused strategy that offers a cost effective alternative to the top ten firms in the country.

The firm also recently landed six awards at the ACQ5 legal awards – the third year in a row that Gilson Gray has seen success – including Law Firm of the Year, Managing Partner of the Year and Insolvency Lawyer of the Year, all for the second time in three years.

The Firm was also recently recognised as Best New Scottish Company, M&A Firm of the Year for the second year running and, crucially, Customer Focus Firm of the Year.