People

Roddy has a wide and varied caseload and has appeared at every level within the Scottish civil court system. Roddy is Dean of the Faculty of Advocates and won Legal 500’s Scottish Silk of the Year in 2019.

Roddy is the only Scottish silk to be ranked in seven separate practice areas by Chambers UK, who place him as a Band 1 Silk in multiple areas. Roddy has a keen interest in promoting equality and diversity at the Scottish Bar.

Rebecca was appointed to the newly established Director of Pro Bono and Clinical Legal Education in 2019. She is responsible for developing and leading the Edinburgh Law School’s pro bono activity, a role that includes managing the award winning Free Legal Advice Centre.

Rebecca holds an LLM in Experiential Learning and Teaching in Law and is an advocate of clinical legal education which she sees as an integral part of legal education.

Frances called in 1985 after eight years in the Procurator Fiscal’s office during which time she served as junior counsel on the Lockerbie Inquiry. She is now one of the busiest and most respected members of the criminal bar.

Frances took silk in 1998 and has become recognised as the top female criminal defence counsel, appearing frequently in the High Court, particularly in murder, rape and other sexual offences cases.

Ryan, a practising lawyer, is founder and co-chair of PBS. He was voted LexisNexis Legal Personality of the Year (2020) and is the AllBright ChangeMaker Man (2020).

Ryan specialises in international arbitration and litigation. He has been recognised in the FT’s Innovative Lawyers list (2019), as the Law Society Gazette’s Lawyer in the News (2019), and as The Time’s Lawyer of the Week (2018).

Jonathan, co-founder of PBS, is a DPLP student at the University of Aberdeen. He is passionate about law, technology and pro bono. Jonathan is set to begin his traineeship at an international law firm in summer 2022.

Jonathan was the Student Director of the award-winning student founded, led and operated Aberdeen Law Project, a pro bono organisation that works to support communities in north east Scotland. He now sits on the Project’s advisory board.

Aideen is the Pro Bono & Clinical Legal Education Coordinator at the University of Edinburgh’s Law School. Aideen works to facilitate access to justice and educate tomorrow’s legal professionals.

Aideen began her career by studying law and politics at Dublin City University before going onto assist with research addressing violent online political extremism at the VOX-Pol Network of Excellence.

James recently graduated from the University of Strathclyde with a Diploma in legal practice having previously completed the LLB. James is the former Student Director of the award-winning University of Strathclyde Law Clinic.

James is incredibly passionate about access to justice and is heavily involved with the Scottish University Law Clinic Network, an organisation that brings together and supports law clinics across Scotland.

Gabriella, originally from the United States, is a diploma student at the University of Edinburgh, having previously completed her LLB and her LLM in international law there. Prior to this, she completed BAs in political science and sociology at Clemson University in South Carolina.

She is currently a Co-director at the University of Edinburgh Pro Bono Society who supports promoting access to justice and pro bono work to students.

Ruth worked for with the Civil Service working in the Scottish Government, Ministry of Justice, Department of Health and for the Advocate General for Scotland before joining the Charity Commission for E&W as a Senior Lawyer.

Ruth has a keen interest in pro bono and is involved in a range of different volunteer roles. Ruth volunteered at the CAB whilst at the University of Glasgow and was an adviser at Edinburgh’s FLAC during her Diploma.

Victorie-Anne, originally from France, is a DPLP student at the University of Aberdeen’s School of Law. She is particularly interested in corporate, intellectual property and medical law and begins her traineeship at an international law firm in 2022.

Victorie-Anne was the Student Director of the award-winning student founded, led and operated Aberdeen Law Project, a pro bono organisation that works to support communities in north east Scotland.

Eilidh is a final year LLB student at the University of Edinburgh and is deputy director of the University’s Pro Bono Society. Eilidh has a keen interest in raising awareness of the importance of access to justice.

Eilidh is particularly passionate about providing free legal services to those in marginalised communities. In her free time Eilidh has been actively involved in providing EU settlement scheme support as a volunteer.

Originally from Germany, Helena is a law student at the University of Aberdeen. She is passionate about social equality, particularly in regards to access to justice, and has a keen interest in human rights and environmental law.

Alongside her studies, she is actively involved in volunteering with the elderly and assisting in local animal shelters. Helena is an Assistant Deputy for the award-winning student founded, led, and operated Aberdeen Law Project.

Seonaid is a lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University. In this role she supports the Law Clinic and works on a number of projects using law for the common good. She has a particular interest in public interest litigation in Scotland.

Seonaid has a master’s in International Law and previously worked at the ICC in the Netherlands. She is also the co-founder of RebLaw Scotland, a movement which uses law as a tool for social justice.

Kirstie recently gained her Diploma in Professional Legal Practice from the University of Strathclyde. During her time at university, Kirstie was the Student Director at Strathclyde’s award-winning law clinic.

Kirstie has always been extremely passionate about helping those most in need and hopes to continue to play a part in increasing and providing access to justice in her role as a trainee solicitor