Latest news with #ChrisSawyer
Scotsman
13-08-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Pinsent Masons: Legal giant with 550 Scottish staff unveils revenue rise and makes Glasgow pledge
'Our latest set of positive results affirm that our strategy is setting us in excellent stead as we unlock the next phase of our growth' – Laura Cameron Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Pinsent Masons, the multinational legal giant with some 550 staff north of the Border, has posted a 4.7 per cent rise in revenue as it gears up to move its Glasgow base into a landmark office building. The latest results, for the year to the end of April 2025, show that firm-wide revenue topped £680 million, while profit per equity partner reached £797,000, an increase of 0.5 per cent. Bosses said the firm had seen continued growth within its core sectors and across its jurisdictions. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad During the year, a strong commitment to the firm's presence in Glasgow was made with the securing of 31,000 square feet of Grade A office space at the city's flagship Aurora building in Bothwell Street. Occupation is anticipated to be in early 2026. Laura Cameron, managing partner, Pinsent Masons. Laura Cameron, the Scots-born managing partner of Pinsent Masons, which has Scottish operations in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, said: 'In the last 12 months we have seen the work of our clients and markets committee come to fruition as we've focused on deepening our client relationships, enriching our understanding of their strategic challenges and supporting on their most significant instructions. Our latest set of positive results affirm that our strategy is setting us in excellent stead as we unlock the next phase of our growth, internationally.' In Scotland, the firm's corporate and employment teams were bolstered with the appointment of former EnQuest general counsel Chris Sawyer as a partner, and seasoned employment specialist Gillian Harrington as a partner, both based in Aberdeen. In Edinburgh, financial services expert Walter Clark was appointed as a partner, joining from rival Burness Paull, while Gillian Frew was appointed head of office, and in the most recent round of promotions four Scottish lawyers joined the partnership, while seven were promoted to legal director. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Transactions involving Scottish lawyers included advising Ithaca Energy on its £754m combination with Italian operator Eni, advising Motor Fuel Group on the £2.5 billion acquisition of petrol courts and EV charging sites from supermarket giant Morrisons, and ongoing support for Winchburgh Development's £1bn residential project in West Lothian. Cameron added: 'We know that clients value our ability to make the right connections across our global platform and thanks to investment in new offices in Shenzhen and Riyadh, we can look forward to continuing to build our seamless cross-border offering and deepening client relationships in new geographies.' The firm has more than 490 partners and 3,500 people operating from 27 offices around the world. Katharine Hardie, partner and chair of Pinsent Masons in Scotland, added: 'It has been another strong year for the firm in Scotland in which we have acted for global corporates on some of the largest transactions of their kind, while recruiting highly experienced lawyers to the partnership and promoting young talent which will form the backbone of our next generation of leaders. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
BreakingNews.ie
27-06-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Former war correspondent awarded €17,500 for 'harrowing experience' on Irish Ferries
Former NBC war correspondent Susan Burt has been awarded €17,500 damages against Irish Ferries for what was described in court as 'a hideous and harrowing experience' on the high seas. Burt (75) told the Circuit Civil Court she feared she was going to die when Irish Ferries vessel MV Epsilon had been tossed around, once lurching to an angle of 33 degrees, in Storm Imogen almost 10 years ago during a sailing from Cherbourg to Dublin. Advertisement The court heard that conditions had been so bad the Epsilon had been unable to risk docking anywhere or dropping anchor and had to sail back and forth for 18 hours in what coastal shelter it could find until the storm abated. 'The vessel lurched so violently that people were screaming,' Burt had told Judge Christopher Callan, who had reserved judgment until Friday. 'Things were flying through the air, dishes were smashing, and furniture sliding up and down decks and cabin floors, and when the ship would roll, we had to crawl.' Three children and four other adults, including Ms Burt's partner Chris Sawyer, had earlier accepted settlements ranging from €14,500 in the case of the children to €23,000 in Mr Sawyer's claim. He had been physically injured during the storm. Advertisement Ms Burt told her barrister, John Wilde Crosbie, who appeared with Evan O'Dwyer of O'Dwyer Solicitors, Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo, that she had lived through a horrific nightmare. She said the ship would turn over so far after having been hit by huge waves that passengers felt it would capsize. The Epsilon had docked a day late on February 9th, 2016. Ms Burt and her partner had been travelling to visit friends in Co Mayo. Ireland Court throws out damages case brought over wheelba... Read More Judge Callan said that while Ms Burt had not, according to psychiatric reports, reached the threshold of having suffered from PTSD, she had nevertheless been exposed to sustained and continuous shock, an experience she should not have had to endure. 'I thought I was going to die. I felt 'this is it',' she had said. 'We were being thrown about and our car was absolutely squashed as vehicles criss-crossed the car deck.' Advertisement When barrister Roisin Haughey, counsel for Irish Ferries, had raised an issue on the amount of legal costs Ms Burt should be awarded, considering the lower award for damages in her €60,000 claim, Judge Callan said he felt she should receive full Circuit Court costs. 'In fairness to the plaintiff, these unusual proceedings have been going on for quite a long time, and the court was impressed with her evidence,' Judge Callan said. 'She did not in any way exaggerate what had happened to her.'
BreakingNews.ie
04-06-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Former war correspondent felt she would die during 'harrowing' Irish Ferries journey
A former war zone correspondent for NBC has told a judge she feared she was going to die in raging seas when Irish Ferries vessel MV Epsilon was dramatically tossed around during Storm Imogen almost 10 years ago. Retired journalist Susan Burt (75) said in the Circuit Civil Court on Wednesday that she, her partner Chris Sawyer and seven passengers from Co Mayo had felt they were not going to survive during what she described as a horrific nightmare over three days when the Epsilon had been unable to dock anywhere during a three-day journey from Cherbourg to Dublin. Advertisement Barrister John Wilde Crosbie, counsel for Ms Burt told Judge Christopher Callan the vessel had been forced to sail back and forth during the storm until the weather improved and it could continue to Dublin. It had set out on February 7th, 2016 and had not docked in Dublin a day late on the 9th. 'The vessel lurched so violently that people were screaming,' Burt, who lives in England and Brussels, told the court. 'Things were flying through the air, dishes were smashing and furniture sliding up and down decks and cabin floors. As the ship would roll we had to crawl.' She said the ship would turn over so far after being hit by huge waves that passengers felt it would capsize. It seemed to go on forever. 'It was a very long drawn out harrowing and awful experience,' she told Mr Crosbie, who appeared with Evan O'Dwyer of O'Dwyer Solicitors, Ballyhaunis, Co Mayo. Advertisement 'I thought I was going to die. I felt 'this is it,'' she said. 'We were being thrown about and our car was absolutely squashed as vehicles criss-crossed the car deck.' In 2023 Noel Rowland, of Bridgemount, Belcarra, Castlebar, Co Mayo, his wife, and three children, Florence, Beau and Jude, now all resident in Brussels; Chris Sawyer, also Brussels, and two other passengers also living in Brussels but with Irish connections, settled their claims against Irish Ferries. Ireland Man released without charge after death of woman o... Read More At that time the court approved settlement offers of €14,500 each for the three Rowland children. Other settlements were not disclosed. Ms Burt's claim was put back until today for full trial. Cross-examined by defence barrister Roisin Haughey, who appeared with Noble shipping Law Solicitors for Irish Ferries, Ms Burt said she had not developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and had not been physically injured during the harrowing experience. Advertisement Psychological experts for both parties put the absence of PTSD and her not having a requirement for medication down to her stoic attitude and impressive personal coping ability. Her counsel said she had nevertheless suffered psychological damage as a result of her experience. Judge Callan reserved judgment on his assessment of damages in a case in which Irish Ferries had conceded liability.
Scotsman
29-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Pinsent Masons major hires bolster Aberdeen energy offering
Multinational law firm Pinsent Masons has announced two Partner appointments which significantly strengthen its Aberdeen office. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Energy sector specialist Chris Sawyer has joined the firm's corporate team while former Burness Paull director Gillian Harrington joins as a partner to lead the Granite City-based employment team. Both appointments have been described as 'headline hires' by Pinsent Masons Partner and Aberdeen Head of Office Richard Scott. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Chris Sawyer has held a number of C-suite level in-house legal roles over a 20 year period with major oil and gas operators including bp, and more recently EnQuest where he was General Counsel. Gillian Harrington, Partner and head of Pinsent Masons employment team in Aberdeen. His international experience, including a three year period as head of legal for bp's Russian business in Moscow, aligned with two decades of UKCS focused activity, bolsters Pinsent Masons expertise in oil and gas, energy transition, risk management and regulatory compliance. Gillian Harrington is well-established in the north-east having spent her entire career in Aberdeen and for the last six years was a director in Burness Paull's employment team. Her experience of advising executive boards on complex, contentious and non-contentious employment issues, will be an asset to the firm's broad range of UK and international clients. Julia Maguire, Pinsent Masons' Global Sector Head, Energy, said: 'The energy sector, both in the North Sea and globally, offers huge opportunities. Many larger energy companies are selling their mature assets to the smaller independent energy businesses who then redevelop them to extend their lifespan while reducing carbon emissions. Our clients need guidance on navigating shifting markets, driven by the energy transition and the need to ensure a secure energy supply in the context of continuing geopolitical uncertainty. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Chris' and Gillian's expertise will help ensure we capitalise on these opportunities and continue to deliver our energy clients' most important and most complex deals across the globe. Having seen our global energy practice grow by 90% over the last four years, we appreciate the continuing and growing client need for the kind of deep sector expertise and experience which Chris and Gillian can offer.' HSE litigation specialist Willie Park has been promoted to Legal Director at Pinsent Masons. Pinsent Masons also recently announced the promotion of Aberdeen-based HSE litigation specialist, Willie Park, to Legal Director. Richard Scott said: 'Both Chris and Gillian are very highly regarded in their respective fields and the stature of these appointments underlines our commitment to clients in Aberdeen and beyond to continue to provide market leading expert legal counsel across the energy sector. 'As Chris and Gillian settle into the team, and with Willie Park's appointment as Legal Director recognising his expertise in and out of court, our offering goes from strength to strength and we will continue to seek out the best practitioners who can add to value to our client portfolio.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Chris Sawyer said: 'I worked with Pinsent Masons at bp and again at EnQuest so know the firm very well and as a recipient of its client outreach seminars and thought-leadership initiatives, I think Pinsent Masons as a truly sector-focused law firm offers clients something quite unique. Energy specialist Chris Sawyer joins Pinsent Masons as a Partner in the corporate team. 'The risk portfolio of operating in the North Sea has gone up significantly in recent years, be that through climate action and awareness, regulation or the taxation system. Those risks are starting to play out in a way that lawyers are being called upon to assess them differently from say five years ago, and coming at this with a 'GC mindset' I will be able to advise clients on navigating those complex issues.' Gillian Harrington added: 'Pinsent Masons has an excellent reputation in the energy sector both in Aberdeen and globally. I see a significant opportunity to further grow our employment practice and to continue to deliver market-leading advice to our clients.
