Employment lawyer Catriona Aldridge joins fellow Edinburgh-based colleague Claire Wallis and Glasgow-based Mike McColl, both from the firm’s real estate team, in making the move to partner level.

Two other Glasgow colleagues, construction law specialist Christopher Dickson and intellectual property expert Neeraj Thomas, have also been elevated to partner level.

The Scottish appointments are among 52 new partner promotions globally in 2021, spanning 22 cities across Europe, Latin America and Africa. The UK accounts for 44 per cent of global promotions with a total of 23 new partners appointed.

This is CMS’s largest-ever round of global partner promotions since 2019 when 49 were promoted to partner worldwide. This year, women account for 43 per cent of new partner promotions in the UK and 37 per cent of new partners globally.

Penelope Warne, senior partner, CMS UK, said: “The scale of this year’s partner promotions, which extend across a broad range of countries as well as practice and sector groups, is inspiring especially in these challenging Covid times.

“It is also an indication of the strength and confidence of our global business. We remain committed to providing opportunities for progression for all our people and these promotions reflect the firm’s diverse range of talent. I am delighted to welcome this year’s new partner cohort and would like to congratulate them all on this significant achievement.”

Allan Wernham, managing director (Scotland) of CMS, said: “We are delighted to announce five promotions to partner in Scotland this year. These promotions are thoroughly well-deserved and reflect our new partners’ talent, hard work and commitment to both our clients and colleagues. The promotions further demonstrate the firm’s confidence and strong commitment to local growth here in Scotland.”