Full-service law firm Ledingham Chalmers has announced one of its largest promotion rounds, with 11 legal professionals stepping up across Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and Inverness.
From 1 April, those promoted to senior solicitor are — Laila Kennedy and Mitchel Bell (litigation, Edinburgh); Taylor Morrison (commercial property), Gavin Matheson (corporate), and Clair Stirton (private client), all Aberdeen
Meanwhile in the Aberdeen private client team, Hollie Hutchison is promoted to associate.
Five colleagues are promoted to senior associate: in Inverness, they are Irene Walker (commercial property) and Laura Marwick (private client) and from Aberdeen, Jenna Hendry (private client), Anna Moir (rural), and Claire Woodward (residential property) all step up.
Chair and partner Craig Pike said: “These promotions are a milestone for the firm. Each colleague has contributed to our success, and it’s right to recognise their achievements. Congratulations, everyone. It’s great to have you on the team.”
Strategic growth and pan-Scotland model
In Edinburgh specifically, where the firm is recognised for its niche expertise in public sector and insurance litigation, Ledingham Chalmers is actively exploring opportunities to expand its services to mirror the full-service model already operating successfully in Aberdeen and Inverness.
As part of this next phase of growth, team heads have been appointed across all legal disciplines to support a pan-Scotland delivery model.
Notably, Edinburgh partner Sarah Morris now leads the institutional litigation team, taking over from partner John Chalmers, with partner Andrew Stott in Inverness stepping into the corporate team head role previously held by joint managing partner Peter Murray.
Other team heads (effective from 1 April) are —
- Private client – Craig Pike, chair and partner
- Rural – Hazel Moir, partner
- Residential property – Nicola Reid, partner
- Commercial litigation – Tim Thomas, partner
- Commercial property – John Mitchell, partner
Office heads —
- Inverness – Victoria Leslie, joint managing partner
- Edinburgh – Sarah Morris, partner
The team heads’ remit covers areas such as team structure, people management, financial performance, compliance, and business development. Office heads will act as the firm’s representative in their region.
Mr Pike added: “With client needs evolving rapidly, ensuring we have the right expertise in the right locations allows us to continue delivering the straightforward, strategic advice our clients value. Demand for a full-service offering is growing, and these promotions as well as the team and office head roles help ensure we’re ideally placed to meet that demand.”
Investing in people
Beyond promotions, Ledingham Chalmers continues to invest in its people and their career development.
Clair Stirton and Hollie Hutchison — two of those promoted — along with private client senior solicitors Chris Lawson and Stacey Grubb are working towards their STEP qualifications, further strengthening the firm’s private client expertise.
A STEP qualification signifies expertise in trusts, estates, tax, and succession planning, equipping practitioners to provide specialist advice on protecting and managing their assets. If successful, this cohort will more than double the number of TEP-qualified lawyers at the firm.
In March, Inverness office administrator Harley MacKenzie qualified as a residential conveyancing paralegal. Meanwhile in the central services team, billing administrator Heather Cooper is studying for The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) membership. She recently passed the AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting with distinction and is now working towards the Level 3 Diploma in Accounting. An AAT qualification further strengthens expertise in finance and accounting, ensuring professionals have extensive skills to manage financial processes and compliance even more effectively.
The firm is also accredited to run its own trainee continuous professional development programme which requires trainees to undertake 60 hours training over their two year traineeship, 40 of those delivered by accredited bodies like Ledingham Chalmers. Around 30 colleagues contribute to this programme annually as presenters.
The firm’s internal Information Exchange programme provides regular opportunities for knowledge sharing as well as continuous professional development with around 75 courses held over the last year.