Anderson Strathern grows senior team with 12 new appointments

08 Sep 2025

Independent Scottish law firm, Anderson Strathern, has announced the appointment of five partners and seven directors – strengthening its services across several growth areas.

The three new recruits and nine internal promotions will bolster the firm’s rural, energy, employment, litigation, and public and third sector teams.

Partners

• Iain Baird joins the firm’s energy team as a new hire. An experienced real estate lawyer, he has spent more than 16 years exclusively within the renewables sector, acting for developers, landowners and funders across a diverse range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, hydro, biomass, solar and battery energy storage. He has extensive experience of advising on all stages of renewable energy generation projects through from initial site selection, diligence, land acquisition, operation and repowering. His experience includes advising on the largest offshore wind, onshore wind and battery storage projects in Scotland.
• Experienced litigator Scott Flannigan has previously been recognised as the Legal 500 Dispute Resolution Rising Star of the Year. Scott has built a wealth of experience across various areas of dispute resolution, including commercial litigation, public law, intellectual property, defamation, competition law, licencing, and criminal defence. One of his specialisms is contentious trust and executry disputes – an area he will drive in his new role as partner.
• Russell Laughland handles all aspects of private client work including administration of estates, preparation of wills and powers of attorney, estate and succession planning. Russell is also a Notary Public and member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.
• Tim Macdonald is part of the firm’s rural team. Specialising in all aspects of property law, he is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a Specialist in Agricultural Law. He also offers a wealth of experience in renewable energy transactions – representing developers and landowners – including tripartite agreements involving farming tenants.
• As part of the firm’s private client team, Laura Murray specialises in providing family office services to high net worth clients. A Notary Public and member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, Laura has extensive experience advising individuals, families and trustees in areas including tax, trusts, succession and estate planning as well as wills, powers of attorney and estate administration.

Directors

• Specialising in agricultural and rural law, Douglas Reid rejoins Anderson Strathern having previously spent 11 years at the firm as a Senior Associate in his early career. He brings more than two decades of experience in private practice, advising landowners, tenants, and rural businesses across Scotland on tenancies, land reform, succession, and business planning. Douglas is also a non-executive director at Cairn Housing Association and Castle Community Bank, and returned to law following a period in ordained ministry.
• New recruit Rhona Delaney is set to enhance Anderson Strathern’s public and third sector offering. Throughout her career, Rhona has built a wealth of experience in corporate, commercial, governance, and charity law. She has worked in the sector for nearly a decade, supporting charities and public bodies on incorporations, governance, mergers, cross-border registrations, and major infrastructure projects.
• Danielle Stevenson is a specialist in family law as well as being an accredited family mediator and is collaboratively trained. Throughout her career she has advised clients in separation, divorce, cohabitation and pre-nuptial agreements, and child law issues. As a court appointed child welfare reporter and curator-ad-litem, she also prepares reports in cases involving adoption and ongoing care arrangements.
• Kate Bond is part of the firm’s rural team, with more than a decade’s experience of representing landowners and occupiers across rural Scotland. She advises clients on a wide variety property work in Scotland’s rural sector. She has acted in several significant transactions involving the sale and purchase of farms, estates and forests. She also offers expertise in telecoms and renewable energy projects.
• Accredited specialist in employment law, Jemma Forrest, has a wealth of experience in all aspects of contentious employment issues including unfair dismissal, discrimination, equal pay and whistleblowing. She provides strategic advice to employers on large-scale change projects as well as advising on non-contentious issues and employee relations matters. Jemma is also a trained and experienced mediator providing her mediation services to clients and contacts.
• Eilidh MacEwan is a member of the firm’s commercial litigation team, with more than 10 years’ experience in the area.  She has a particular interest in insolvency and a strong background in tax litigation.  Eilidh is a solicitor advocate and often represents clients at hearings in the Court of Session, Sheriff Courts and Tribunals.
• Part of the firm’s high net worth team, within the private client department, Emma Read advises on all aspects of private wealth and tax matters including tax and estate planning as well as the preparation of wills and powers of attorney, and the administration of trusts. Emma is dual qualified to practise in England and Wales as well as Scotland, and is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

The new appointments bring a mix of expertise to the table to significantly enhance Anderson Strathern’s specialist services and support client growth across various sectors.

Murray McCall, managing partner at Anderson Strathern, said: “Our new hires each bring their own unique experience and skillsets, enabling us to strengthen our rural, energy and third sector offering with new specialisms – while continuing to deliver unrivalled services to our clients.

“Making nine internal promotions is a real testament to the knowledge, dedication and hard work of our team, and I’m exceptionally proud to see them progress to the next stages of their careers. We’re thrilled to recognise those who are helping shape the future of Anderson Strathern.”

Pictured: Kate Bond, Scott Flannigan, Russell Laughland, Eilidh MacEwan, Iain Baird, Douglas Reid, Laura Murray, Rhona Delaney, Jemma Forrest, Danielle Stevenson, Tim Macdonald.