ALLAN MCDOUGALL MCQUEEN - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Solicitor
- Employment
Alice specialises in employment law issues, with a particular focus on representing trade union members in employment tribunal claims. She is experienced in contentious litigation and in mediation. She provides advice to trade union officials on all aspects of employment law, including unfair dismissal, all forms of discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing, transfer of undertakings, working time, interim relief, contractual disputes, wages, and industrial issues. Alice is passionate about the trade union movement and recognises that strong legal representation in employment disputes is often the final piece in the jigsaw of strong industrial organising and building workers' power.
Prior to joining Allan McDougall Solicitors, Alice trained and qualified at a firm specialising in employment law. She came to the legal industry late, having previously worked in the violence against women sector and in criminal justice. She completed her legal studies at the University of Strathclyde, where she won both academic awards and other awards for her volunteer work at the University Law Clinic.
She also teaches Employment and Contract Law on the law course at the University of Strathclyde.
Alice has volunteered in Palestine and in India, as well as with substance use charities in Edinburgh.
Job Titles:
- Legal Secretary / PA
- Personal Injury
Alison became an employee of Allan McDougall Solicitors in 2002, working in the firm's Personal Injury team. She joined as a Legal Secretary initially to provide secretarial, administrative and PA support to David Harris. This was a very busy and challenging role. With David Harris also leading the training and supervising of trainees in the personal injury team, Alison provided secretarial support and guidance in the firm's culture and ways of working to these team members too. She also assisted in numerous other office tasks on a daily basis, which included noting all relevant court dates for the department and providing IT support.
Job Titles:
- Personal Injury Claims, Employment Issues / Full Details
Cathie began her career at Allan McDougall Solicitors as a Trainee Cashroom Assistant in 1979. She has progressed within the firm to become our Head Cashier with all the knowledge and experience she has gained. Cathie is a well-respected member of staff who enjoys the challenges and variety of work that her role brings.
Job Titles:
- Legal Secretary / PA
- Personal Injury
Claire started with Allan McDougall Solicitors in 2000 and has always worked within the personal injury team dealing with all aspects of personal injury and Court work. Providing various levels of administrative support within the department, Claire is PA to Jacqueline Raitt, a partner, assisting Jacqueline with the smooth running of her cases on a day-to-day basis.
Claire enjoys working in a busy legal environment, and this has been her career of choice since leaving school. Gaining her first position as a Court Runner/Office Junior in a small firm gave her good grounding and a wealth of experience for the years that have followed. Claire has worked in different areas of litigation within Edinburgh law firms throughout the years but prefers the varied and interesting nature of personal injury law.
Education
Claire has a Paralegal Qualification in Civil Court Work.
Outside Work
When not in the office, Claire enjoys hillwalking. Her favourite getaway is holidays with her family in the Lake District, and she loves nothing better than climbing the fells. She has climbed some of the highest in the Lakes, including Scafell Pike, Skiddaw and Blencathra. She also enjoys dining out with friends and socialising.
Job Titles:
- Solicitor
- Personal Injury
- Senior Member
David Harris is a senior member of the personal injury team, having been with Allan McDougall Solicitors since 1991. He is involved principally in servicing Unite the Union clients and has a significant caseload of medical negligence clients.
Before joining Allan McDougall Solicitors, David worked with a law firm servicing major insurance clients defending personal injury claims and that experience has served him well in working on behalf of injured people, as he has done for the last 30 years. He has experience of cases ranging from the District Courts, Sheriff Court, the Court of Session, and the Supreme Court.
Recovering compensation for working people injured during the course of their employment in situations which have severely affected their lives is something which gives David considerable satisfaction and is one of the main reasons he decided to pursue law as a career. Before doing so, David had experience over six years of a number of different jobs in the ‘real' world from labouring to bar work and culminating in a year working offshore on a drill platform as a roughneck before knuckling down to a legal apprenticeship.
In the early part of his career, David had experience working with local authorities acting as Clerk to the District Court where he gained experience of criminal law and was also involved in some high profile Judicial Review cases involving the City of Edinburgh Council (e.g. Anne Purves v CEDC).
Job Titles:
- Personal Injury Claims, Employment Issues / Full Details
Dianne joined the firm in March 2018 in our busy Cashroom department. She has over 30 years of Cashroom experience, after starting off her career as an office junior on work experience with another law firm, then progressing her role within various law firms in Edinburgh and East Lothian to become a Legal Cashier. She enjoys the varied day-to-day running of the Cashroom and attends various seminars throughout each year on behalf of the firm to obtain up-to-date rules and regulations which are regulated by the Law Society of Scotland.
Education
Dianne completed a course with the Society of Law Accountants in Scotland and qualified from this in 1992, then becoming an Associate Member.
Outside Work
Dianne has also qualified as a professional highland dancing teacher and has competed to championship level. As a result of highland dancing she has learned how to apply herself to work and train hard. This new skill gave her confidence to dance in public displays and competitions throughout Scotland. It also gave her lasting friendships that she still has to this day.
She is married with two boys and became a grandmother during lockdown. She enjoys spending time with them and walking her dog.
Emily specialises in family law. She is an Associate in the family law team in Edinburgh and has over 15 years' experience in dealing with clients' interests in family related matters.
Emily provides advice in relation to all family law matters, including separation, divorce and child contact and residence matters. She is primarily occupied with negotiating financial claims arising in the context of divorce or separation. She has vast experience of drawing up and negotiating separation and cohabitation agreements as well as pre-nuptial agreements. Emily has been instructed in relation to claims under sections 28 and 29 of the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006 - financial claims where cohabitation ends by separation or death. In addition to general family law matters, Emily has experience of dealing with unusual cases, including Proving the Tenor of a Will, Actions of Division and Sale and Petitions to the Nobile Officium.
Emily has a particular interest in Guardianship matters in the context of the Adults With Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. She regularly assists clients in submitting applications to be appointed as Guardian to Adults who are no longer capable of managing their own affairs. She is also instructed in relation to variation and renewal of Guardianship Orders.
Prior to joining Allan McDougall Solicitors, Emily trained, qualified and practised at a small Edinburgh firm where she gained experience in general litigation; she then chose to specialise in family law. She completed her legal studies at The University of Edinburgh where she obtained her joint honours degree in Law and German and Diploma in Professional Legal Practice. She is a member of the Family Law Association.
Emily has regularly assisted the Diploma in Legal Practice course providers by volunteering to play the role of a Sheriff for the students carrying out their assessments in mock Child Welfare Hearings.
Emily is supportive and empathetic. She is conscious that family related disputes can often be a stressful and an emotional experience for clients and she aims to navigate those involved toward a satisfactory outcome in all her cases.
Fiona qualified as a paralegal in 1991 and, having also worked in the insurance and care sectors, brings a wealth of experience to the team. Fiona is professional and proactive in her approach, offering clear, candid advice at the outset and a bespoke service to each of her clients. She understands that when a client instructs her they are relying on her to protect their interests and, in some cases, secure their future. Fiona believes that a good claims handler should be supportive and have empathy with their client, while treating each claim individually.
Fiona has experience in bringing the following types of claim to a successful conclusion:
Accidents at work
Road traffic accidents
Cycling accidents
Trips and slips
Defective products
Medical negligence
In her spare time, Fiona enjoys reading and travel.
Fiona Fraser has been an absolute gem from day one. My employers tried to make the case difficult through their incompetence. Thanks once again for your exceptional service.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Solicitor
- Personal Injury Claims, Employment Issues / Full Details
Gordon is managing partner of Allan McDougall Solicitors. A specialist in employment law and personal injury cases, he has over 25 years' experience, having joined the firm as a trainee.
Gordon regularly acts on behalf of one of the UK's leading trade unions. He has extensive experience of all aspects of employment law and regularly appears in the Employment Tribunals and in the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
He also has considerable experience of dealing with reparation cases in the Sheriff Court and in the Court of Session, Scotland's supreme civil court.
Gordon Bathgate provided an excellent service and I am very happy with the outcome.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Partner
- Solicitor
- Personal Injury
- Professional, Courteous, Communication Was Excellent. I Would Definitely Recommend Your Services to Anyone - a First Class Law Firm
Gordon started his career as a trainee with Allan McDougall Solicitors in 2004. During his traineeship he focussed on personal injury claims for trade union members, before moving on to represent members in the employment tribunal.
In 2008 he left Scotland to travel extensively, before relocating to Berkshire where he qualified as a solicitor in England while working with a specialist industrial disease claims team.
He subsequently moved back to Scotland and returned to Allan McDougall Solicitors working at a branch office in Midlothian. Working in a high street office he was involved in a wide range of litigation, with a particular focus on matrimonial and child contact disputes.
In 2012 he moved back to the firm's trade union team where he has represented trade union members in personal injury and employment claims.
Gordon Milligan was very professional, courteous, communication was excellent. I would definitely recommend your services to anyone -a first class law firm.
I was fully kept informed by Gordon Milligan from start to finish. Timelines given were excellent and I was very pleased with the outcome. Would highly recommend.
Job Titles:
- Head
- Associate / Solicitor / Penicuik
Jackie, who heads up our family law team, has worked exclusively as a family lawyer since 2000. She has vast and varied expertise and experience in all areas of family law, including separation, divorce, financial provision, residence, contact and adoption.
Regularly appointed by sheriffs in difficult cases to report and/or safeguard children's interests, Jackie also has a specialised knowledge of child law.
Working within our dedicated family law team, Jackie works with clients across all of our offices in Edinburgh and Midlothian.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Solicitor
- Personal Injury
Jacqueline is a partner in our market-leading, award-winning personal injury team. She has specialised in pursuing personal injury cases since 2003. She has considerable experience acting for clients in the Court of Session, Scotland's highest civil court, the All-Scotland Personal Injury Court and Sheriff Courts, pursuing all types of employer's liability, public liability, occupier's liability, motor liability and medical negligence claims. She is also responsible for the recruitment and supervision of the firm's trainees.
Education
Jacqueline has a Master of Arts Degree with Honours in French, a LLB Degree with Merit, both from the University of Glasgow, and a Diploma in Legal Practice. She is also a Notary Public.
Job Titles:
- Legal Secretary
- Legal Secretary / PA
- Personal Injury
Jane is a Legal Secretary within the Personal Injury team and is based in the Edinburgh Office. She joined the firm in 2002.
Job Titles:
- Personal Injury
- PH Clerk / Receptionist
- SFA Youth Football Coach
Jay has been employed by Allan McDougall Solicitors as a Parliament House Clerkess in our busy court office since 1988. She has over 30 years' knowledge and experience of court procedure. She works closely with the personal injury, family law and employment law teams, performing substantive and procedural routine duties of legal clerical and administrative work that requires knowledge of legal terms, documents and procedures. She regularly liaises with Clerks of Court and enjoys the variety of work her role brings each day.
Education
Jay has studied several Open Learning Courses, including Scottish Courts and the Law, and Youth Justice in the UK.
Outside Work
Jay is a qualified SFA Youth Football Coach and enjoyed many years coaching her sons' local football team. She still regularly attends their football games at the weekend. She is married with three boys and enjoys family time with them and the family dog.
Jill works within the family law team based in our central Edinburgh office at Coates Crescent and deals with a wide range of family law matters.
Job Titles:
- Head
- Partner / Solicitor / Solicitor Advocate
- Personal Injury
Julie heads up our market-leading, award-winning personal injury team. She has specialised in pursuing personal injury cases since 1995 and was drawn to this area of the law as it is complex, interesting work and involves the challenge of acting for an individual taking on a large institution, usually an employer or an insurance company. As well as directing the team, Julie runs many litigated cases in both The Court of Session and The All-Scotland Sheriff Personal Injury Court.
Julie enjoys participating in training of other solicitors and external referrers such as the firm's trade union clients. She is also a mentor on The Law Society of Scotland's Lawscot Foundation Programme, which supports academically talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Job Titles:
- Paralegal / Legal Secretary / PA
- Personal Injury Claims, Employment Issues / Full Details
Karen joined Allan McDougall Solicitors in March 2006. Karen is PA and Paralegal to Gordon Bathgate, the firm's Managing Partner. She deals with all aspects of employment law work and enjoys working in a busy office.
Prior to joining Allan McDougall Solicitors, Karen worked for the Scottish Government in the Solicitor's Office where she gained a wealth of experience dealing with a variety of legal matters. Karen was then seconded to the Scottish Court Service for a number of years before deciding to move back into the legal sector.
Education
Karen has a Specialist Paralegal Qualification in Employment Law and an LLM degree in Employment Law in Practice. She is a member of the Institute of Paralegals.
Outside Work
When not in the office, Karen enjoys walking her dog in the fields nearby. She also supports Hibernian FC and attends Easter Road regularly. Karen also enjoys travelling abroad on holiday and spending time with her family.
Job Titles:
- Legal Secretary / PA
- Personal Injury
Laura is PA to Julie Harris, head of our personal injury team. Having previously worked in various other law firms within Edinburgh and being involved with different areas of litigation work, personal injury work has always been her preferred area of litigation.
Laura started with the firm in 2016. She is responsible for all aspects of personal injury work. This also involves dealing with clients on a day-to-day basis. She has a very approachable and friendly manner, as commented on by many clients.
Laura is also involved in the firm's marketing activities, ensuring that its profile is maintained and that potential clients are aware of the services offered. For example, she has previously arranged and attended various Personal Injury Conferences that the firm has run for lawyers from other firms across Scotland as part of its Injury Compensation Alliance programme.
Education
Laura has Paralegal qualifications in Civil Court work, Advanced Civil Court work and Liquor Licencing.
Outside Work
Outside work Laura's hobbies are running and walking. She is also mum to two young boys and enjoys spending quality family time at weekends.
Laura joined Allan McDougall Solicitors in October 2013 as PA to Jackie Pringle, head of our family law team. She has worked closely with Jackie since 2002. Now a qualified family law paralegal and often the first point of contact for new clients seeking help and advice, Laura's role involves telephone and direct contact with clients.
Laura has worked in several law firms over the years, dealing with all types of work, but has worked exclusively in family law for the past 20 years. She has therefore gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in family law. Laura enjoys the interaction with clients and the variety of work which family law entails.
Job Titles:
- Paralegal
- Paralegal / Penicuik
Lauren is a paralegal in the family law team. Based in our Penicuik office, she deals with a wide range of family law matters.
Lauren joined Allan McDougall Solicitors back in 2001 as an office junior and has since then obtained both her Family Law and Residential Conveyancing Paralegal qualifications.
Having gained extensive experience in conveyancing, Lauren jumped at the chance when the opportunity arose to move to the firm's highly respected family law team. She is well established within our Penicuik office and has a great rapport with clients near and far.
Job Titles:
- Accounts Clerk
- Personal Injury
Linda joined Allan McDougall Solicitors in 1977, when the firm was based in Alva Street and has seen the firm flourish and grow since then.
Linda has always worked in the firm's Accounts department, dealing with Judicial and Legal Aid accounts. She is also responsible for the preparation of all the Extra Judicial Fee Notes for our personal injury claims team. In addition, she arranges the payments of clients' compensation sums that have been awarded. She gets a great deal of job satisfaction from her dealings with the firm's clients.
Another important aspect of Linda's role is to deal with all aspects of credit control, making sure our accounts are paid timeously.
Linda is very involved in the firm's corporate social responsibility initiatives, including organising our annual coffee morning in which we raise funds for Marie Curie and Macmillan Cancer Support, which is a very worthwhile project.
Outside Work
Linda enjoys walking, swimming and going to Easter Road to support Hibernian FC.
Outside work Stephen is a keen but inept golfer and tennis player. He has a particular passion for music and enjoys playing the piano and guitar, at least for the brief periods before his children start complaining.
Outside of work, Jacqueline enjoys the outdoors, keeping fit, good food and wine and spending time with her family. She has lived in France and speaks fluent French.
Job Titles:
- Allan McDougall Solicitors in 2019 As a Legal Secretary
- Legal Secretary / PA
- Personal Injury
Pam joined Allan McDougall Solicitors in 2019 as a Legal Secretary working principally for Stephen Irvine, Partner. She covers all aspects of personal injury and civil work.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Solicitor
- Employment
Ruaraidh is a partner based in our central Edinburgh office. He is an experienced employment lawyer who specialises in contentious employment law.
He frequently represents clients in the Employment Tribunals and has also represented clients in the Employment Appeal Tribunal and before the Central Arbitration Committee.
Ruaraidh acts primarily on behalf of employees from a wide variety of private and public sector backgrounds. He has expertise in claims involving unfair dismissal, discrimination, whistleblowing, transfers of undertakings as well as contractual disputes. He regularly advises clients on settlement agreements and advises trade union officials in relation to workplace issues.
Job Titles:
- Administrator
- Personal Injury Claims, Employment Issues / Full Details
Sarah joined Allan McDougall Solicitors in 2017 as an Administration Officer. She is based within our busy Cashroom and provides administrative support to the team. She enjoys the variety of work that the role provides.
Prior to joining Allan McDougall Solicitors, Sarah held administrative roles with other large financial organisations and gained many skills and experience during her time with these companies that she uses to this day.
Outside Work
Outside of work Sarah enjoys spending time with her friends and family, cooking and going to different exercise classes. One of her proudest moments was completing a charity abseil from the Forth Rail Bridge with other colleagues from the firm.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Solicitor
- Personal Injury
Stephen has considerable experience in many types of litigation but has spent the vast majority of his 25-year career specialising in pursuing claims for compensation for people who have suffered injury. He has extensive experience in all types of personal injury claim including accidents at work, road traffic accidents, slips and trips and claims for asbestos-related conditions. Like everyone at Allan McDougall Solicitors, when Stephen says he puts his clients first, he means it. Always approachable, he believes passionately in making sure clients know they are being listened to rather than merely "processed".
Prior to joining Allan McDougall Solicitors in 2019, Stephen had spent over 20 years working for another well-respected Edinburgh law firm acting primarily for people pursuing personal injury compensation claims.
Stephen has provided training seminars for other lawyers on various issues of personal injury law and court procedures.
Job Titles:
- Legal Secretary / PA / Administrator
- Personal Injury Claims, Employment Issues / Full Details
Steven started with the firm in late 2016. Initially working in the family law team in Penicuik, Steven moved into the Coates Crescent, Edinburgh office in early 2017 to work with the personal injury team. Steven now works as PA to David Harris, Consultant, as well as providing administrative and technical support to other members of the personal injury team and the firm as a whole. He also assists David Nicol, Consultant with work in connection with the Lothian Valuation Appeal Panel.
What Steven enjoys most about his role is the fact that every day is different. The varied work and fast-paced environment make for a very interesting day!
Education
Steven is currently progressing through his paralegal qualification in reparation law and hopes to have this completed soon.
Outside Work
Steven's most memorable extra-curricular activity while with the firm was when, despite his fear of heights, he and some his colleagues abseiled down the Forth Rail Bridge in order to raise money for charity. He says it was one of the most exciting, yet at the same time terrifying, experiences of his life.