Gilson Gray poach talent to form new legal firm

THE biggest full-service legal firm to open in Scotland in more than 100 years has been launched after cherry-picking staff from rival practices.

Glen Gilson (left) and Matthew Gray head up the firm. Picture: Contributed

Gilson Gray has attracted a significant team of what it claims are market-leading specialists from across the Scottish legal, property and financial sectors to front the business, which has bases in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The firm is led by private client lawyer Glen Gilson, previously part of the senior management team at HBJ Gateley, and Matthew Gray, former head of property and legal services and member of the managing board at Pagan Osborne.

Gilson takes on the role of managing partner, while Gray, a non-lawyer, will be managing director of Gilson Gray Property Services.

The pair have spent the past year scouring the Scottish corporate community to build their team and the firm now has nine solicitor partners and four other senior executives to head and develop the business’s legal, property and financial services divisions.

Gilson said: “It is the first time in Scotland a firm of this size and capability has been launched, bringing together a team of skilled partners already established at the top of their respective fields.”

Gray added: “We are delighted to have assembled such an impressive team for our launch.”

The firm has hired senior figures to head up a variety of disciplines. Renewable Energy will be led by Andrew Fleetwood, formerly principal at Fleetwood Legal, ex Magic Circle Freshfields and head of energy, Eversheds Scotland. Others are:

Litigation: Iain Clark, solicitor advocate, formerly litigation partner at Young & Partners and an author on international arbitration.

Corporate: Derek Hamill, also formerly of Young & 
Partners

Real estate: Murray Stewart, formerly head of real estate at Eversheds Scotland.

Employment Law: Graham Millar, formerly head of employment law at Young & 
Partners.

Insolvency: Steven Jansch, solicitor advocate, formerly head of insolvency at Gillespie Macandrew.

Debt recovery: David Alexander, formerly head of asset recovery at Blacklocks.

Residential conveyancing: Jonathan Williams, formerly residential property partner at Morton Fraser.

Finance director: Gerry Cockburn, ex-finance director at Optima Legal, Faculty of Advocates and Golds Solicitors, and author on law firm financial management.

A significant number of the Gilson Gray lawyers are dual qualified in both Scottish and English law.