Burness Paull has further strengthened its market-leading employment team with the appointment of Claire Scott as a partner and Lisa Byars as a director, as the firm continues to see strong and growing demand for specialist advice linked to the increasing complexity of the employment law landscape.
Scott and Byars, who both return to Burness Paull having worked for the firm earlier in their careers, act for a broad national and international client base advising on UK employment law. Based in Aberdeen, they have particular expertise in the energy, infrastructure and financial services sectors.
Mandy Laurie, head of employment at Burness Paull, said: “The increasing complexity of the employment law landscape means that we continue to see strong demand for specialist employment advice across all sectors. Our expectation is that demand will only grow further as our clients prepare for the UK government’s forthcoming reforms, which have been dubbed the biggest upgrade to rights at work for a generation.
“The energy sector is undergoing a period of significant change as we increase our reliance on renewables and other clean energy sources. Claire and Lisa’s expertise sits at the intersection of where energy and employment matters meet, which means they are ideally placed to advise organisations on the employment law considerations of the transition to net zero.
Lisa Byars and Claire Scott
“While much of our work is focussed on Scotland, the nature of employment law means we can act on a UK-wide basis and do so regularly on behalf of household names. Having worked with Claire and Lisa previously, we know that they are quality operators who will enhance our offering as we support our clients to ensure they are employers of choice with the diverse, future-ready workforces required to achieve their business objectives.”
Peter Lawson, chair at Burness Paull, commented: “Our employment team is firmly established as the market leader in Scotland and is highly regarded at a UK level too, acting for both corporates and senior executives on advisory matters, transactions and, where required, litigation.
“Maintaining our position at the top of the market hinges on our ability to attract, develop and retain the very best talent. The appointment of Claire and Lisa is the latest example of this. They are superb employment lawyers with a strong profile in the market, who will further strengthen our proposition as we seek the best possible outcomes for our clients and to fulfil our growth strategy.”
Claire Scott added: “Lisa and I are excited to be rejoining Burness Paull, where we spent many happy years earlier in our careers. It’s an ambitious and growing firm which offers the best platform to deliver for a strong and varied client base.”