Sian is a Solicitor in BTO’s highly commended Insurance department, working on a range of matters including motor liability, employer’s liability, professional indemnity and property/commercial litigation.

Sian undertook her traineeship at BTO across a variety of litigation seats, completing this in February 2024.  Prior to commencing her traineeship she worked in professional legal practice from 2018 to 2022 in wills, estates and succession planning as well as agricultural and rural property.  Her varied legal background together with her prior employment experience working for one of the largest technology companies in the world mean she brings a valuable and diverse skillset to her work in litigation.  Clients describe her as friendly and approachable, with the ability to explain legal processes in a clear and accessible manner.

Sian graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2014 with an MA and from Robert Gordon University with an LLB in 2021 and DPLP in 2022, both awarded with Distinction.

Graeme has more than 25 years’ experience working in the commercial real estate and property markets. In recent years his main focus has been advising investors in the acquisition and disposal of office and industrial developments, and on legal issues arising in the management of investment portfolios, but traditionally Graeme’s particular specialism  has been in advising developers, particularly In the development, operation and financing of hotels and other leisure and licensed premises. His clients include investment funds, as well as national hotel brands and smaller independent developers and occupiers.

After Hours

Watching football, playing golf and learning German.

Jennifer is an Associate in BTO’s clinical defence team, ranked Band 1 by Chambers UK.

Jennifer provides representation and advice to professionals in matters arising from fitness to practise investigations, fitness to practise hearings and interim order hearings. She has experience providing representation to a variety of professionals including those in the medical, dental, nursing and finance professions.  She also acts for medical and dental professionals in clinical negligence claims raised in the Sheriff Court and Court of Session.

Jennifer worked with BTO’s employment law team for over five years, providing advice to both employers and employees (including doctors and dentists) in a variety of contentious and non-contentious matters and has significant experience pursuing and defending Employment Tribunal claims.

Jennifer’s experience has involved advising employers on issues with unfair dismissal, constructive unfair dismissal, collective redundancy consultation, disciplinary and grievance matters and ill health retirement. She has also advised individuals in claims arising from unfair dismissal, constructive unfair dismissal, breach of contract, redundancy, discrimination and unauthorised deductions from wages.

She is experienced in negotiating settlement agreements for both employers and employees and providing guidance on contracts of employment and disciplinary and grievance matters.

Michael is a Senior Associate with more than 10 years’ experience specialising in non-contentious construction matters for a wide range of public and private sector clients, including developers, funders, contractors and end users.  

He is an experienced lawyer and provides pragmatic and technically excellent advice on a wide range of non-contentious issues.  Principally he supports real estate and property finance transactions – managing the interrelationship between construction and development / finance documents, advising on procurement routes and drafting, negotiating and reporting on construction packages – but he also advises main contractors on the terms of their contracts and sub-contracts. 

He has provided advice across a broad range of sectors; retail, office, hospitality, industrial / distribution, student accommodation, residential and infrastructure projects. This wide-ranging portfolio of work – which includes a spell working in-house with one of the UK largest and most active social housing groups – gives Michael a broad perspective and sector knowledge.  When combined with his technical skills, he has the tools to both foresee potential issues and propose potential solutions to mitigate the risk of them arising.

As you would expect, Michael has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating the standard form contracts typically used in the industry (such as the JCT, SBCC and NEC forms).  He always aims to transfer that knowledge into readily accessible advice and has delivered training sessions on those contract forms (and others) for various clients and colleagues.

Michael holds a Masters degree in Construction Law.

Susie is the paralegal who heads up the firm’s Parliament House Team. She is based in our Edinburgh office and joined us as a court runner in November 1995 when the Edinburgh office first opened. Susie has over 20 years of experience in dealing with court running, court motions and all Court of Session procedural matters.  She is responsible for ensuring the smooth running of administrative matters in all our Court of Session cases and is the firm’s main point of contact with the court.  She also acts as clerk to our Edinburgh based solicitor advocates. 

Jennifer is an experienced lawyer with a positive “can do” attitude. She is an all-rounder, with wide ranging and varied expertise in all areas of commercial property in Scotland, including commercial and residential development, acquisitions and sales, cross border deals, landlord and tenant work, and asset management.

Jennifer is pragmatic, personable and solution focussed.

Jennifer was one of the first solicitors in Scotland to become Signet Accredited in Commercial Property and is also a Notary Public.

After Hours

Creative writing and music, but mostly running after a toddler.

Molly is a Solicitor with the Family Team. Molly qualified in 2024 after undertaking a specialised family law traineeship where she gained experience in a wide range of family law matters including divorce, separation, domestic abuse and child law. She has experience of appearing in the Sheriff Court and assisting with Court of Session cases.  Prior to undertaking her traineeship, Molly worked at the Scottish Law Commission on the Cohabitation and Surrogacy law reform projects. Molly also tutors at the University of Edinburgh, contributes to the Family Law Bulletin and is a trustee for a local charity.