International law firm Pinsent Masons has announced the promotion of 18 individuals – 3 in Scotland – to its partnership.

Of the 18 lawyers being made up to partner, 8 are women, taking the proportion of females in the partnership to 23% and closer to the 2018 target of 25% female representation set out in the firm’s gender balance programme Project Sky.

Nick Carlin, who started at the firm as a trainee 12 years ago and is an expert in procurement and supply chain aspects of major energy projects, has been appointed partner in the Energy team which was recently appointed to act in one of Scotland’s largest oil industry transactions, the £500 million acquisition by SSE of some of Total’s West of Shetland operations.

Procurement specialist Caroline Ramsay has a wide ranging European law practice advising across the UK and Europe. She recently defended the European Commission in an action involving renewable energy subsidies in Germany, where Pinsent Masons has just opened a second office in Dusseldorf.

Edinburgh-based Jae Fassam has been appointed partner in the Pensions team and has experience of advising on pension aspects of corporate and finance transaction, large-scale M&A projects and in dealing with the Pensions Regulator and HMRC on regulatory matters.

In addition, 3 senior associates, Stacey Cassidy (Projects), Lesley-Anne Todd (Property) and Joanne Stewart (Technology, Media, Telecoms) have been promoted to Legal Director. Pinsent Masons employs more than 480 staff, including 73 partners, at offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

Kirk Murdoch, Chairman of Pinsent Masons in Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: “Energy, EU and pensions are all important focus areas for the firm and the appointment to partner of Nick, Caroline and Jae adds to the depth of specialist knowledge we offer in these respective fields. Each has followed a well-defined career path and we are delighted to reward their hard work with these deserved promotions.”

Richard Foley, Senior Partner of Pinsent Masons, added; “This year’s promotion round is a reflection of both the quality of people within the firm, and our broader commitment to ensuring that talent can flourish at Pinsent Masons irrespective of gender. All of those who have been promoted have got there on merit, having demonstrated an ability to provide high quality legal advice delivered in the context of the sector in which the client operates. A number have also shown a willingness to innovate with and for our clients to provide market-changing solutions. My expectation therefore is that this group will play a significant part in ensuring that our business achieves its vision of becoming an international market leader in the global sectors in which we operate.”