ARNOT MANDERSON WELCOMES THREE NEWLY CALLED ADVOCATES
30th June 2023
Arnot Manderson Advocates has welcomed Clara Smeaton, Neil Morrison and Eilish Lindsay to the stable following their admission to the Faculty of Advocates in calling ceremonies held in the Reading Room of the Advocates Library (pictured above) earlier today.
This follows directly on from the success of three recent Better The Devil You Know Seminars where the trio impressed in-person and online delegates with talks on a wide range of legal subjects including the Government’s Illegal Immigration Bill, Romance Fraud and Secondary Victims.
Clara calls to the Bar as the Lord Reid Scholar for 2022. She trained as a solicitor at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service where she worked in busy local courts across Scotland for a number of years. After qualifying, Clara worked in the jury trials team, and the domestic abuse prosecution team at Glasgow Sheriff Court. She also worked on extradition cases whilst at the COPFS.
Clara was seconded to work at Eurojust in The Hague, The Netherlands, where she was the COPFS representative and assisted on cases involving mutual legal assistance and the transborder prosecution of organised criminal groups.
In 2019, Clara began working in immigration and asylum law. She gained extensive experience in asylum and human rights appeals at the First-tier Tribunal. She frequently instructed Counsel in appeals to the Upper Tribunal and judicial reviews and worked on stopping removals and deportations from the UK.
Latterly, Clara worked for Burness Paull LLP (ranked Tier 1 for immigration in the Legal 500), on complex post-Brexit European Union applications and appeals, corporate immigration applications, and Appendix FM appeals to the First-tier and Upper Tribunals. Clara brings a particular interested in appellate work, both in immigration and criminal cases.
Prior to calling Neil worked in-house for a global renewable energy company negotiating and drafting complex FIDIC-based construction supply agreements for significant wind energy projects in northern and central Europe. He also provided contract management and dispute resolution support for energy projects across Europe including Ukrainian wind farms impacted by the war.
He developed particular expertise in financial disputes during his time working for an award-winning boutique law firm and then a leading international law firm. He was lead solicitor in several high-profile reported Court of Session cases.
As a solicitor, Neil appeared in debates and proofs in the Sheriff Court, Employment Tribunal hearings, arbitration proceedings, and a reported Sheriff Principal appeal. In 2016, he became one of only 15 Scottish lawyers Signet Accredited in commercial litigation by the WS Society. The following year Neil was granted extended rights of audience in the Court of Session and the UK Supreme Court.
Neil will continue to specialise in commercial dispute resolution, with particular focus in the areas of commercial contracts, construction, arbitration, fraud, company law, real estate, professional negligence, insolvency, and defamation. He also has an interest in public law and has knowledge and experience of judicial reviews.
Eilish gained 8 years of experience as a solicitor before calling to the Bar. She worked at large litigation firm and gained experience in a wide array of personal injury work, including occupiers’ liability, public liability, road traffic accidents, criminal injuries, and employment accidents. In addition, she also dealt with claims arising out of clinical negligence and has experience in industrial disease cases, including asbestos; hearing loss; and HAVS. She regularly appeared in Sheriff Courts and the All-Scotland Personal Injury Court and dealt with complex personal injury actions in the Court of Session.
Eilish’s practice also includes fatal accident inquiries, public inquiries, crime and regulatory work. She has appeared before the Traffic Commissioner, the Criminal Injuries Compensation First-tier Tribunal and in summary criminal matters. Eilish has been involved in a number of lengthy fatal accident inquiries, representing both the family of the deceased and also acting on behalf of other interested parties. She was also involved in the UK Infected Blood Inquiry, acting on behalf of a large number of core participants.
Andrew Sutherland, Practice Manager at Arnot Manderson Advocates, said “We are delighted to welcome Clara, Neil and Eilish to the Stable today. With these new Counsel in our ranks we continue to boast an enviably strong and vibrant presence at the junior end of the Bar.
Our new members each have invaluable experience in Scotland’s highest courts and beyond and the complete range of work they undertake makes them a perfect fit for our stable.
A wide range of Solicitors and their clients stand to benefit from their availability and all these additions further enhance our reputation as the largest full service stable at the Scottish Bar.”
left to right Clara Smeaton, Neil Morrison and Eilish Lindsay