The Partners
Mark Thorley
Following an LLB Honours degree and a Dipl LP, he then spent six years with Edinburgh based Balfour & Manson, first as a trainee then qualified assistant, specialising in reparation, family and criminal law.
In 1992, Mark went on to co-found Blacklock Thorley Solicitors, an Edinburgh firm who specialised in debt recovery, family, criminal and reparation law. In 2005, along with Jim Stephenson, Mark founded Thorley Stephenson. During the last six years, has been in charge of the family law and reparation department of the firm which started with one assistant and now has grown into a team of five lawyers and two trainee solicitors.
“Following many years as a solicitor in private practice, I believe that I have the experience to deal with clients’ problems in a sympathetic manner whilst guiding them towards a desired solution. Many of my clients return to me on a regular basis for advice and I obtain a substantial amount of referral work.”
Jim Stephenson
After attaining an LLB degree at Dundee University, Jim joined the Metropolitan Police in 1982. Four years later he returned to Dundee, gaining a Diploma in legal practice.
Jim has previously been a partner in the firms of Adams and More & Co and, in 1995, was one of the founding partners of WSA (Wardlaw Stephenson Allan) Solicitors, specialising in criminal work. In 2002, Jim was admitted as a Solicitor Advocate and, over the years, has conducted numerous High Court trials and appeared before the Appeal Court in the High Court of Justiciary. Jim, along with Mark Thorley, founded Thorley Stephenson in 2005 since when he has successfully developed a criminal law department and mental health department. The expansion of the firm has led to the opening of a second office in the Cowgate in Edinburgh, the location of the criminal department.
“Since gaining the Solicitor Advocate qualification, I have had the experience of being instructed by a number of other Scottish law firms in High Court cases. In relation to the recent changes regarding the admissibility of interviews of suspects by police officers, I have had to provide a 24-hour service which requires attendance at police stations at short notice. I have also recently argued that the right of a suspect to speak to a lawyer – or have one present during an interview by investigating authorities other than police officers – should be allowed and this argument was accepted in the case of Procurator Fiscal Edinburgh v Pierre Levicky.”
Julian Aitken
Julian Aitken qualified as a solicitor in 1994, since when he has almost exclusively practiced in the field of child law. He set up his own dedicated family law firm at the age of 27 before spending three years as a Children’s Reporter. He joined Thorley Stephenson in 2007 and was appointed as a partner in September 2010.
Julian is one of 18 solicitors in Scotland who are currently accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a Specialist in Child Law. He was first accredited in 2003 and reaccredited in 2008, making him one of the most experienced solicitors in public child law in Scotland. Since joining Thorley Stephenson he has built up an extensive client base of birth families who are involved in actions where the local authority has sought to intervene in their private and family life. He has been involved in some of the major decisions regarding the development of the new permanence order law brought in by the Adoption and Children Scotland Act 2007. His reputation as a tenacious fighter who protects clients’ parental rights and human rights in public law cases sits alongside his excellent reputation as a strong, concise advocate when appearing before the courts and the Children’s Hearings.
Our Services
Family Law
Thorley Stephenson’s family law department is at the forefront of private client and legal aid representation in all aspects of family law. More Info...
Personal Injury
When someone suffers a serious injury, it is devastating for them and those who care about them most. In the early days after an accident, the future is uncertain and this causes anxiety. More Info...
Civil Disputes
In today's climate civil disputes, whether between individuals or companies, can not only be complex but also costly. More Info...
Road Traffic Law
The Solicitors at Thorley Stephenson have years of experience in defending clients in relation to motoring offences including speeding, the avoidance of disqualification on penalty points or “totting up” (exceptional hardship), careless or dangerous driving, drink driving. More Info...
Accident Claims
No Win No Fee Accident Claims Service. More Info...
Family Law
Thorley Stephenson’s family law department is at the forefront of private client and legal aid representation in all aspects of family law.
At the beginning of 2008 the department consisted solely of partners Mark Thorley and Julian Aitken. Since then, the success of the department has led to ongoing expansion to meet the demands of the ever growing client base. In early 2008 Associate Solicitor Nina Taylor joined the firm with Ruth Gallacher and Lisa Rae further enhancing the team in 2010. Thorley Stephenson’s commitment to bringing forward young talented solicitors is clearly seen within the family law department with trainee solicitors regularly undertaking work to assist the principal solicitor. The secretarial staff within the family law team all have extensive experience of dealing with family law cases and are dedicated to that area of work on a day by day basis. The team, now numbering five qualified solicitors, two trainee solicitors and five secretaries, has been nominated for the family law team of the year award at both the 2010 and 2011 Law Awards of Scotland.
With all the solicitors experienced in dealing with all aspects of family law and all regularly appearing in court, each one conducts, on average, 200 Child Welfare Hearings a year in addition to Evidential Proof Hearings, Debates and Appeals. Informally, within the wider family law department, the public child law team of Julian Aitken and Lisa Rae continue to provide a high level of service to birth families in cases involving compulsory social work care of children. Mark Thorley, with over 20 years of experience, deals primarily with the financial aspects of divorce, as do Nina Taylor and Ruth Gallacher.
The family law team’s position at the forefront of the development of Scottish law is evidenced by the increasing number of law reports containing Thorley Stephenson case law, particularly in relation to cases involving relocation abroad of children, the Children’s Hearing system and the new permanence order/adoption legislation introduced by the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007.
Personal Injury
When someone suffers a serious injury, it is devastating for them and those who care about them most. In the early days after an accident, the future is uncertain and this causes anxiety.
If the injury was caused by someone else, compensation is likely to be available. Instructing a solicitor with the right experience, as soon as possible, is the important first step in the compensation process.
Thorley Stephenson SSC offers its experience of serious injury cases including:
- Free initial interview to give basic advice
- Awareness of the impact of such an injury on your life
- Access to experts whose input will be needed to ensure you receive the right compensation
- Negotiation to achieve a settlement
- Preparation of cases for trial, if settlement at a sum fair to you is not offered.
