Leading Scottish independent law firm BTO Solicitors has announced the promotion of Laura Irvine to partner alongside an array of new appointments.

A prominent member of BTO’s well known Data Protection team, Laura will continue to work closely with partner and team head Paul Motion on data protection, cyberrisk and compliance matters, which are growing areas of business for the firm. Laura is a solicitor advocate and worked as co-counsel with Paul to successfully overturn a £250,000 data protection fine imposed on Scottish Borders Council by the Information Commissioner’s Office, a case which attracted widespread interest as it is to date the only successful UK appeal against a fine under the Data Protection Act 1998.   

Due to her expertise in cybersecurity law, Laura sits on the board of the Scottish Business Resilience Centre and is increasingly in demand for the provision of advice and training to organisations dealing with this topical issue. Currently, her focus is on helping businesses to comply with the implementation of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) before it comes into force on 25 May 2018. Recipients of her training have included the CBI, IBM, the Direct Marketing Association, Fife Council, The Law Society of Scotland, George Watson’s College, Lockton, Business Insider and the Scotland Housing Network.

The data protection team is also set to be strengthened with the appointment of associate Lynn Richmond. Having worked on a number of high profile cases both for and against major international companies, Lynn, who is based in BTO’s Edinburgh Office, is experienced in commercial dispute resolution, technology and intellectual property and data protection.

Alan Borthwick, chairman of BTO, commented: ’Laura works tirelessly to assist her clients, as well as going above and beyond to share her knowledge and raise awareness of BTO’s expertise across relevant sectors. Her promotion to partner is extremely well deserved and I have no doubt her dedication to developing BTO’s data protection offering will continue, ably assisted by Lynn.’

Meanwhile, BTO’s Construction team also welcomes two new members: new recruit, solicitor Peter Clelland, and solicitor Rachel Holt, who qualified a year ago after completing her traineeship at BTO. Other appointments include solicitor Betheney Ross, who recently joined the firm’s health and safety team, and Stephen Duff and Rachel Irvine, who are new additions to BTO’s commercial dispute resolution team in Glasgow.

Muneeb Gill is taking a permanent position in the data protection team and Beverley Addison will remain in the Family law team whilst Hannah Lamont has been given a permanent post assisting the personal injury and disease teams. The firm has also taken on six new trainee solicitors.

Alan Borthwick added: ’It is very exciting to be able to announce these new appointments to the firm, ranging from an experienced associate to newly-qualified lawyers who will be continuing their careers at BTO. We’re committed to attracting the best talent as well as nurturing the skills and knowledge of our hugely talented existing team. We look forward to seeing our latest appointments develop in their new roles.’

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