Specialist immigration lawyer joins Burness Paull

Legal firm Burness Paull has boosted its strength in immigration law and migration policy with the hire of accredited specialist Jamie Kerr.

Mr Kerr, who joins from Thorntons' Dundee office where he was a partner, has worked solely in the field of immigration, asylum and nationality law for over a decade, supporting public and private sector clients.

As well as being an experienced tribunal and court litigator, Mr Kerr has a particular specialism in global mobility and in facilitating the attraction of international talent and overseas investment to Scotland and the UK. He works closely with policy makers to ensure that immigration and visa rules do not act as a barrier to trade, investment and the free movement of sought-after talent, and sits on the Scottish Government’s Strategic Labour Market Review Group, the Immigration & Asylum Committee and the Consitutional Law Committee of the Law Society of Scotland, and is on the board of the CBI in Scotland. He tutors human rights law at the University of Glasgow and is an ad-hoc lecturer on immigration and asylum law at Scottish and European Universities. 

On his new role he commented: "Whilst immigration work is not sector specific, Burness Paull's pivotal role in the oil and gas sector and the technology market is particularly attractive. Both fields are global ones with investment and talent active across international borders. There's a real need for specialist support to ensure borders don't act as a barrier to business... With policy becoming ever more restrictive and immigration law becoming ever more complex, it is a real growth area for those with the right expertise."

Peter Lawson, chairman of Burness Paull added: "Jamie is a great hire for the firm. His specialist expertise will enhance our offering to ensure we are the first port of call for our clients at a time when the ripple effects of Brexit, the blossoming tech sector and the resurgent oil and gas market are also opening up significant opportunities to attract new types of work."