Elaine Motion

After qualifying in the mid 1980s I practised in Edinburgh building my litigation experience in a number of areas before heading to New Zealand where I worked as a barrister and solicitor for a number of years. After leaving Auckland in 1993, I returned to Scotland to take on a new challenge that year at Balfour+Manson, becoming a partner of the firm in 1997 and a solicitor advocate in 1999.

For many years I headed up the litigation department of some 65 professionals before taking up the position of Chairman on 3rd March 2014. I follow a great tradition of equality which is a core part of what the firm stands for; Ethel Houston was the first female partner in a Scottish law firm at Balfour+Manson and I am immensely proud and humbled to be the first female ‘Chairman’.