International law firm Pinsent Masons has promoted one Scotland-based lawyer to Partner and two senior associates to Legal Director.

The latest round of promotions saw the firm welcome 17 new Partners across the globe, including Edinburgh-based Kathryn Wynn, who is a specialist in data protection with a focus on the financial services and fintech sectors.

While much of her work is confidential, she has been heavily involved in helping businesses plan for Brexit and dealing with protection issues associated with Covid-19.

Kathryn is membership secretary of the industry forum Data Protection Finance Group which brings together professionals working in data protection law and  compliance within the financial services sector.

She said: “Data protection law and practice is developing at such a rapid pace as new technologies, including AI, present new challenges. The Data Protection Finance Group is a brilliant forum for sharing expertise on how to achieve compliance in such a dynamic area.

“If I chose a career highlight it was being part of the team which wrote the privacy law for the State of Qatar, it was a real privilege to be involved in drafting law which created new rights for the citizens of Qatar.”

In Aberdeen, senior associates Rachel Warner and Fiona Kindness have been promoted to Legal Director.

Rachel Warner specialises in upstream oil and gas projects and has a great deal of experience in the acquisition, disposal and operation of offshore assets, with recent transactions including Ithaca Energy’s $2 billion acquisition of Chevron North Sea Limited and Total’s sale of a large package of North Sea assets for in excess of $600m.

Rachel also advised Apache North Sea on the specialist oil and gas aspects of their sale of the SAGE System and Beryl Pipeline to Ancala Midstream, Total on the sale of its interests in the Bruce and Keith Fields to Serica Energy, and Total on the $905 million sale of its UK midstream business at St Fergus to NSMP.

Fiona Kindness has a wide range of corporate finance experience, focusing on acquisitions and disposals an including MBO/MBIs, equity investments, joint venture arrangements and corporate restructuring. She spent a six month spell in Pinsent Masons’ Dubai office and her work regularly involves liaising with colleagues and clients in the Middle East, Singapore and Australia. Fiona is also a senior tutor in corporate finance for the Diploma of Professional Legal Practice at Aberdeen University and away from work she is a competitive circuit driver, racing high performance cars including a Subaru Impreza and a MINI.

The promotions bring the total number of partners in the firm to 474 with female representation across the partnership reaching approximately 28%. This year almost half of those promoted are women, signalling the firm’s continued progress towards a position where promotions demographics reflect the pool from which candidates are drawn.

Katharine Hardie, Chair of Pinsent Masons in Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: “I am delighted that we are promoting three talented female lawyers who each make an important contribution to the offering we provide to clients in Scotland and to Scottish firms working internationally.

“We are incredibly proud of the talent, skill and dedication of all of our people and as we all take stock and adjust to the challenges we face prompted by Covid-19, it’s heartening to have some positive news that helps us look to the future.

“These promotions strengthen our position as a leading sector-focused, multinational legal services provider and mark an important step in our transition to become a professional services business with law at its core.

“The firm’s commitment to provide its clients with innovative, solutions-based legal services is the touchstone of our business.  Now, more than ever, developing talent that supports this is critical as our clients grapple with the challenges posed by coronavirus.”

It was the first time that Partner promotions have included staff out with traditional legal services. Hayley Boxall has been made Partner in Forensic Accounting Services while director of Client Solutions David Halliwell has also been promoted to Partner as the firm strengthens its capabilities as a professional services business with law at its core.

Pinsent Masons was one of the first law firms to establish an in-house forensic accounting team, offering clients a multi-disciplinary approach to disputes, consultancy services and investigations.

As the partner leading Client Solutions, David Halliwell works with a wide range of professionals across the firm to help clients transform the way they deliver legal services to their businesses, both through the firm’s existing portfolio of process, resourcing and technology solutions and through collaboration to create new ones.