Scottish law firm Gibson Kerr, with offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow, has announced that some of its staff have been promoted while others have achieved academic achievements in both its personal and family law teams.
Sara Albizzati has been promoted to Legal Director. She was previously a Senior Associate in the Personal Law department, and has achieved promotion for her outstanding dedication to clients and her expertise in her chosen field Sara has also been awarded a prestigious STEP Excellence Award 2026, naming her as the highest scoring Diploma graduate in Scotland in all four papers required to obtain the STEP Diploma.
In the Glasgow office, Faye Lipton has been promoted to Associate in the Family Law department which reflects her strong performance and commitment to expanding the firm’s family law footprint in the west of the country.
• Lobna Abouelleil has passed her Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) and is now fully registered as a solicitor in England and Wales. This major milestone means she is set to begin the process of becoming qualified in Scotland.
• Briege Valentine, Senior Solicitor in the Personal Law department, has successfully passed her STEP exams. She is now a fully qualified STEP practitioner, bringing industry-gold-standard expertise in trusts, estates, and future planning to the firm’s clients.
• Olivia McMurtrie, from the firm’s Personal Law support team, is celebrating academic triumph after being awarded First-Class Honours in her law degree.
Scott Rasmusen, Managing Partner at Gibson Kerr, said: “These promotions and academic awards represent a brilliant chapter for Gibson Kerr. Sara’s worldwide STEP recognition and Faye’s promotion to Associate underscore the impressivedepth of talent we are fortunate to have within the firm.
“Investing in our people is at the core of our strategy. Seeing Lobna qualify as a solicitor in England and Wales, Briege secure her full STEP qualification, and Olivia achieve a First-Class law degree highlights a collective drive for excellence that directly benefits our clients. We are proud of all of them.”
