Patience and Buchan promote Gillian Smith to associate

Ms Smith, a graduate of Edinburgh University, joined the practice in August 2016, having spent the previous five years at Ledingham Chalmers.

Trained as a collaborative family lawyer, she is currently working towards achieving specialisation in family law, to add to the impressive array of specialisations already held by the firm’s personnel.

In addition to managing a substantial case load, Ms Smith has also spent the last three years helping out as a weekend volunteer at Avenue, a North East charity providing a range of support services for families and children.

Founding partner Lorna Buchan said: “This promotion is thoroughly deserved. Gillian established herself very quickly as a key player in our firm and is currently handling a significant amount of complex work.

“The firm continues to go from strength to strength despite a challenging economic climate and our performance is a testament to the hard work of all of our staff, including Gillian.”

The firm, which was formed in 2000, is only one of a few firms in Scotland to specialise exclusively in family law.