Partners

Donald graduated from the University of Dundee and has been with the firm since 1970, becoming a partner in 1976. He specialises in Residential Conveyancing and works in the busy conveyancing department offering advice on all aspects of house sale and purchase.

Donald is a former member of the Tayside Valuation Appeal Committee, he is a former chairman of Tayside Solicitors Property Centre and is currently Clerk to the Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee. Donald is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Dundee

Johnston graduated in 1983 and joined Blackadders (then Blackadder Gilchrist & Robertson) as a trainee. He was made partner in 1988 and became managing partner of the firm in 1999. His areas of specialisation are Wills, Trusts, Estates and Personal Tax Planning.

Johnston is Head of Blackadders Wealth Management. He is Director of Dundee City Developments Limited. He is a member of STEP, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, and a past Dean of the Faculty of Solicitors and Procurators in Dundee. He is secretary to Dundee Repertory Theatre and secretary and treasurer of Dundee Disabled Children's Association.

Craig was born and educated in Dundee. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh he joined the firm in 1993 as a trainee. He was assumed as a partner in 2001 and now heads the firm's Family Law & Personal Injury unit.

Craig specialises in high value financial claims and is committed to resolving disputes through mediation and collaborative law.  Craig has fifteen years' experience as a family lawyer.  He is often called upon to provide reports at Dundee Sheriff Court and is regularly appointed Safeguarder by the local authority. 

Craig will guide you through the legal process and provide support and expert advice.  He will endeavor to reduce conflict and improve communication and understanding.

He is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a Solicitor Mediator and has practised collaborative law for four years and is Chairperson of the Scottish Collaborative Family Law Group.

Lindsay joined the firm in 2000, becoming a partner in 2001. He is a specialist in all aspects of house sale and purchase, overseeing property investment and development. Lindsay operates within a strong team of experienced conveyancers, comprising solicitors and a team of dedicated paralegal assistants.

David is a partner in Commercial Property, leading a team of five assistants. He has experience in a variety of transactions including sale and purchase, landlord and tenant work and secured lending (acting for both funders and borrowers). David has a particular interest in commercial property investment and also advises a number of developers on site acquisition and financing.

David graduated from the University of Dundee in 1994 and joined Blackadders in 1999, becoming a partner in 2003

Donald was educated in Aberdeen and Edinburgh and graduated with an MA from the University of Aberdeen 1971 and with an LLB from the University of Edinburgh in 1973. He became a partner in 1979.

Donald specialises in advising on the preparation of Wills, the administration of executry estates and financial management for the older client, including Powers of Attorney. This has led him to develop considerable expertise in dealing with incapable adults of all ages and with arranging Financial and Welfare Guardianships for such clients. He receives referrals for this work from other firms of solicitors in the area and has lectured and written on the subject. Donald is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in Incapacity and Mental Disability Law.

He is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. He is a past Dean of the Faculty of Procurators and Solicitors in Dundee, a past chairman of the Dundee Citizens Advice Bureau and is the course leader and senior tutor in the Private Client Course in the Postgraduate Diploma of Legal Practice at the University of Dundee. He is the Honorary French Consul in Dundee, and the President of the Dundee Orchestral Society.

Steve was educated at Arbroath High School and the University of Dundee, and joined Blackadders as a partner in 1984. Steve's areas of specialisation are in Conveyancing, Wills, Trusts and Executries, Powers of Attorney and the management of financial affairs.

He is a past President of the Rotary Club of Carnoustie and a past Secretary and President of the Panmure Businessmen’s Club Carnoustie. Steve is also a past President of the local football club Carnoustie Panmure F.C.

David qualified in 1971 and has been a partner in Blackadders and its predecessors since 1973. He is widely experienced in all aspects of the law relating to commercial property, particularly commercial leasing. He also deals with the property aspects of insolvencies and with a wide range of commercial contracts dealing with everything from venue hire to catering concessions. Medical partnerships are another area of which he has extensive experience.

David acts for many well-known companies from Tayside and beyond and has considerable knowledge of charitable companies.

Scott graduated from the University of Dundee in 1976, and qualified as a solicitor in 1978. After becoming a partner in 1980 he specialised in Private Client work and his areas of specialisation are Wills, Trusts and Executries.

He is a member of STEP, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, a Notary Public and a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.

Campbell leads Blackadders’ “responsive and knowledgeable*” Corporate & Commercial Unit. Following “considerable client endorsement”, Chambers and Partners reports that Campbell is “a great ambassador for the firm, he takes a pragmatic approach to business issues faced by clients and ensures he dots all the i’s and crosses the t’s**”.

In February 2010, Campbell became one of only two Scottish Signet Accredited corporate law specialists. The Signet Accreditation is an initiative of The Society of Writers to Her Majesty's Signet, one of the world's oldest independent professional bodies. It is an entirely new approach to assessing and accrediting legal services in Scotland, assessing client-focussed skills as well as legal knowledge. Campbell’s accreditation reinforces Blackadders’ commitment to excellence as a leading East of Scotland law firm for people and business.

Campbell’s expertise lies in mergers, acquisitions and disposals, management buy-outs and joint ventures. He also advises on private equity transactions, acting variously for management and equity and debt providers.

In addition to transaction-based work, Campbell fulfils a general advisory role for a substantial portfolio of SME and large corporate clients, working in conjunction with other specialists in the firm’s business division.

Campbell represents Blackadders as a corporate partner of LINC Scotland, the national association for business angels, is a member of the BioDundee steering group and is also a non-executive director of a global learning solutions provider.

* Legal 500, 2010 edition
** Chambers and Partners, 2009 edition

Douglas graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1980. He began his career at Blackadders and was made a partner in 1986. A member of STEP, the Society of Trust and Executry Practitioners, he specialises in Wills, Executries, Inheritance Tax Planning and Powers of Attorney and related matters.

Sandy is a Law Society accredited employment law specialist and a part time Employment Judge. He qualified in 1973, is a partner of the firm and heads up the Employment Law Unit. Chambers, the UK's leading guide to legal services, has singled Sandy out as a 'leader in his field' for employment law.

He specialises in business in addition to employment law, advising a wide range of commercial clients on corporate, property and other business issues.

He chairs a charitable company employing disabled people and serves as a director of a pension trustee company.

Petra graduated from Edinburgh University in 1999 after gaining her LLB and Diploma in Legal Practice. She is based at the firm's office in Forfar, where she deals with house sales and purchases, wills, powers of attorney and executries.

Phil is a native of Perth and a former pupil of Perth Academy. He graduated from Dundee University in 1973 qualifying as a solicitor in 1975. He became a Partner of Gilruth Pollock & Smith in 1977. When his firm merged with Carlton & Reid in 1987 he became a Partner of Carlton Gilruth which later changed its name to Carltons. He then became a Partner of Blackadders when Carltons merged with Blackadder Reid Johnston in 1999. He is now one of our resident partners at our Arbroath office and specialises in residential conveyancing, wills, powers of attorney, executries and management of personal financial affairs.

In his younger days Phil was a Court and Family Law solicitor but soon became a specialist Property Lawyer dealing with a high volume of residential property transactions. He runs a strong team of experienced conveyancers comprising a qualified Solicitor and a team of dedicated Paralegal Assistants.

Phil has been Company Secretary of TSPC (Tayside Solicitors Property Centre) since 1984 and before that was a very accomplished junior footballer.