Vikki Melville

Ms Melville is an insurance lawyer who has been with the firm for 17 years since joining Simpson & Marwick in 2003, which went on to merge with Clyde & Co in October 2015.

She is a highly experienced litigator acting on behalf of insurers and others and deals with a wide range of disputes throughout the Scottish courts but particularly in the Court of Session.

Her practice covers catastrophic and large loss RTA claims, indemnity and coverage issues, high-value EL and PL claims, general insurance liability disputes as well as commercial litigation.

She said: “I’m proud to be the new managing partner for such a fantastic firm working alongside a great group of people in our Scottish offices and beyond.

“In the current climate my immediate focus is on ensuring our teams have the support and tools they need to continue to provide the market leading service our clients rely on us for. I am proud of the way colleagues have adapted to the difficult circumstances we all face due to COVID-19 and how they have transitioned to a new way of working quickly and seamlessly.”

Outgoing managing partner David Tait will remain on the firm’s Scottish Executive Committee. During his time as Scottish managing partner the firm retained its position as the largest insurance litigation defendant firm in Scotland and won International Law Firm of the Year at the Law Awards of Scotland 2018.

He said: “It has been a delight to manage our Scottish practice since 2017 and I have enjoyed leading this group of talented people and working with our UK and global leadership teams. Vikki will be an excellent managing partner for the next phase of the firm’s story in Scotland and I look forward to continuing to support the firm in every way possible.”

Senior partner Peter Hirst added: “Vikki brings to the role of managing partner for Scotland a very client and people-focused approach and mentality, which will stand her and the practice in very good stead. Our clients are facing issues that weren’t foreseen only months ago and our Scottish practice is playing a crucial role helping them address them and look to emerge stronger as the global economy comes out of this crisis.”