International law firm DAC Beachcroft is pleased to announce that health and safety specialist, Zoe McDonnell, has joined the firm as a partner in its six-strong Scottish Regulatory—Safety, Health & Environment team.
Based in DACB’s recently-relocated grade A Glasgow office, Zoe moves from BLM where she was a partner and led its Scottish Regulatory team.
Zoe has advised on defending health and safety and other regulatory prosecutions, along with representing parties at Fatal Accident Inquiries throughout her legal career. She has handled several high profile cases, including acting for an engineering company at the Sumburgh Helicopter Fatal Accident Inquiry into the deaths of four offshore workers in the North Sea; defending a hotel employee in criminal proceedings and at the Fatal Accident Inquiry into the Cameron House Hotel fire which claimed the lives of two guests; defending a national distribution company prosecuted following the death of an employee working in a depot; defending a large retail company prosecuted following the death of vulnerable member of the public in a fire exit stairwell and securing the acquittal of a bin lorry driver prosecuted for causing the death of a pedestrian by careless driving.
She has represented a range of clients, including corporations, public bodies, charities and individuals facing investigations by the police and regulatory agencies such as the Health & Safety Executive, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and local authorities.
Karen Railton, DACB partner and head of regulatory services in Scotland, commented: 'DACB has one of the largest regulatory teams in the UK, with 29 specialist Safety, Health & Environment lawyers based at seven locations extending from Glasgow to Newport. Zoe will play an important role in helping us to extend our Scottish capability and reach still further, as we expand our services by supporting clients with training on incident response, in addition to advising those subject to regulatory investigation and legal proceedings, and providing assistance in the immediate aftermath of an incident anywhere in Scotland.'
John Maillie, DACB partner and location head for Scotland, added: 'We have welcomed over 50 new colleagues to our Glasgow and Edinburgh offices during the past couple of years, and Zoe’s arrival is the latest in a series of senior appointments, as DACB responds to significant growth following further insurer and corporate client wins. Her appointment will also complement our expanding professional indemnity, construction and real estate offering in Scotland.'
