Jim Stephenson has been a solicitor since 1990 and his main area of practise is criminal law. In 2005, with Mark Thorley, he founded Thorley Stephenson. The firm currently has nine lawyers providing representation in the Scottish civil and criminal courts.
A solicitor advocate since 2002, and a member of the Society of Solicitor Advocates, Jim is also a founder member of Fortis Chambers, Scotland's first chamber comprised exclusively of Solicitor Advocates.
He has contributed to a Law Society paper on the Carloway Report, expressing a view that if corroboration is to be abolished then it would not be safe for the Scottish Courts to rely on dock identification. He serves on the Law Society of Scotland's legal aid committee and in 2013, he appeared on behalf of the appellant in Marc Carr v HMA, a successful appeal against conviction. He has also spoken at the Legal Aid Conference regarding the duties of a solicitor representing his client at a police interview.
“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 decided to provide a 24-hour service which frequently means attending a police station 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.”
“Jim Stephenson is by far the best defence lawyer I have ever come across. Got me an excellent result when it mattered most and was extremely helpful throughout the whole process.” R.G, Edinburgh
