BTO Solicitors LLP

Family.

Partner

Lesley is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in family law and has practiced exclusively in this area for 28 years. She heads BTO’s team of family specialists and is considered one of the foremost experts in Scotland. She has a wide breadth of experience in all aspects of family law with both a contentious and non-contentious practice.

Lesley deals principally with the financial issues arising from the formation or breakdown of relationships, including those involving an international dimension. She has particular experience in high net worth cases litigated in the Court of Session involving the valuation of companies and the interface between partnership law and family law.

Lesley also has significant expertise and a strong success rate in pursuing high value, complex, cohabitation claims.

Lesley is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as CALM mediator and receives regular instructions from family law colleagues in other firms in both child and financial mediations. She draws on her experience as a mum and her range of skills in day-to-day negotiation and is renowned by clients and peers for her calm, unflappable demeanor, incisive approach and exceptional service delivery. Lesley is also one of the first group of family Arbitrators trained in Scotland and is secretary and national committee member of FLAGS (the Family Law Arbitration Group Scotland).

An experienced collaborative lawyer, Lesley is longtime chair of the Edinburgh Consensus pod and is passionate about Collaborate Practice and the benefits it offers to separated families.

Lesley is often called upon by other lawyers to provide expert opinions in a variety of specialist family matters including professional negligence cases. Lesley is regularly requested to contribute to media coverage of family law matters and in speaking roles.

Trained at Messrs McVies Haddington, East Lothian; qualified 1994; Associate, Russel and Aitken Edinburgh (1996-2001); Associate, Skene Edwards, Edinburgh (2001-2005); Partner and Head of Family Law, Lindsays Edinburgh (2005 – 2013). Partner and Head of Family Law, BTO Solicitors LLP (2013 to date).

English.

Family Law Association; Consensus; FLAGS.

Perth Academy; University of Dundee LLB Hons 1991; Dip LP 1992.

Enjoys family, cycling, and socialising.