Media and entertainment
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
![Paul Motion](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/7844_1168634.jpg)
BTO Solicitors LLP
Partner and Solicitor Advocate
Paul is a versatile and highly experienced civil Solicitor Advocate who has used his Rights of Audience continuously and prominently since 1998. He has been qualified 39 years. In 2018 he became the first Accredited Specialist in freedom of information and data protection law, in private practice, in Scotland.
Paul is one of the most experienced commercial litigation solicitors practising in Scotland. He qualified in 1984 and so has been practising for 38 years. He has been a solicitor advocate since 1998. He practised in New Zealand between 1990 and 1993 appearing as counsel at many levels including the New Zealand Court of Appeal in 1991.
Paul is the current Convener of the Law Society of Scotland’s Extended Civil Rights of Audience training programme.
Amongst the vast range of litigation Paul has handled during his long career are included many judicial reviews (two in 2022) and two international arbitrations together with related Court of Session appeals (in 2016/2018 and 2019/2022). Paul has handled many complex company and shareholder disputes. In 2021 he was involved in a multi-jurisdictional £58m shareholder dispute involving Scotland, England, Cyprus, China and the Cayman Islands. Paul is often called upon to carry out emergency litigation and has huge experience in dealing with interdict (injunction) applications as well as “Dawn Raids” (*formerly Anton Piller orders in England). He dealt with an urgent injunction in the High Court Queens Bench Division over Christmas 2021/2022, seeking to restrain the holding of a meeting. He appeared in 2008/9 in the Wishart case which remains the leading Scottish authority on shareholder derivative actions: ALEXANDER MARSHALL WISHART v. CASTLECROFT SECURITIES LIMITED AND OTHERS (scotcourts.gov.uk)
Paul is also recognised in Scotland as a leading practitioner in data protection (one of only three Accredited Specialists in private practice in Scotland), social media and reputational law. He is regularly in court on these matters. See CAROL BEYTS AGAINST TRUMP INTERNATIONAL GOLF CLUB SCOTLAND LIMITED (scotcourts.gov.uk); ANTHONY WOOLLEY AND DEBORAH WOOLLEY AGAINST NAHID AKBAR OR AKRAM (scotcourts.gov.uk); and Heather Hiram -v- Alana Mullen 2020scedin23.pdf (scotcourts.gov.uk) He has contributed comment to BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Five Live Drive on these topics, often at short notice. He writes articles for the legal and mainstream media and lectures on his subjects regularly. He has also engaged with Facebook, Twitter, TripAdvisor and US news websites in relation to reputational matters.
Paul founded and heads BTO BeCreative, a niche team focused on servicing the legal needs of the Scottish creative industries. He devised and presented seminar/workshops at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to an audience of theatrical agents and managers for the ten years.
Paul was instrumental in persuading BTO to set up RGDP LLP in 2019. This is a JV company in which BTO’s partner is ComputerLaw Training. RGDP which provides outsourced Data Protection Officer services to nearly 90 customers. Paul is the Board Chairman of RGDP LLP.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Leading associates
Rising stars with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
![Sarah McCormick](/cdn-cgi/image/width=256/https://www.legal500.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/10/S-McCormick_11-TEAMSHEET.png)
Brodies LLP
Sarah is a senior associate within our Litigation team. She has represented clients at all levels of the Scottish court system, including at the UK Supreme Court, and regularly represents clients in both arbitration and mediation proceedings.
Sarah is one of only three lawyers in Scotland appointed to the Programme Legal Advice Panel for BBC Scotland and regularly provides pre broadcast advice (most often concerning defamation, privacy, and contempt of court) direct to journalists, producers, and editors at BBC Scotland. She also represents corporates, individuals and third sector clients in connection with social media issues and reputation management.
Sarah also has extensive experience of all types of real estate disputes. She frequently advises a wide range of institutional landlords, developers, housebuilders and corporate tenants on dilapidations and lease enforcement, service charge disputes and termination, as well as contentious issues arising from both commercial and residential developments.