Vikki Watt > BTO Solicitors LLP > Glasgow, United Kingdom > Lawyer Profile

BTO Solicitors LLP Offices

BTO Solicitors LLP
48 ST VINCENT STREET
GLASGOW
G2 5HS
United Kingdom
Visit website 0141 221 8012 0141 221 7803

Vikki Watt

Vikki Watt photo
0141 221 8012 vwa@bto.co.uk View profile View profile View profile

Work Department

Health & Safety, Corporate Crime, Insurance

Position

Partner and Solicitor-Advocate

Vikki heads BTO’s top tier Health & Safety, Regulatory and Criminal defence practice. She is a Solicitor Advocate specialising in the defence of health and safety, environmental and white collar criminal prosecutions. With two decades at the top of her field, she is recognized for her accomplished advocacy skills by both clients and professional colleagues alike and combines a sharp analytical mind and empathetic approach. She acts for a number of high-profile Insurers, as well as individuals, SMEs and multinational companies.

Instructed regularly at the outset when a major incident or fatality occurs, Vikki has a wealth of experience in advising clients at all stages, ranging from strategic advice in the immediate aftermath of a serious incident to representation at interviews under caution and the conduct of Tribunals, Trials, Fatal Accident and Public Inquiries. This includes providing crisis management and reputational advice at all stages.

Vikki is the ‘go to’ Panel solicitor for a number of insurers, LAs, charities and construction companies in health and safety matters and regularly receives referral work from market leaders both north and south of the border.

Vikki’s non-contentious work also sees her heavily involved in training for other lawyers and clients. She is a regular  presenter on all aspects of health and safety law to bodies such as the MGAA, the Solicitors’ Group, Lloyds of London and provides bespoke training to her private clients.

Career

Trainee at BTO Solicitors LLP, Senior Solicitor, Associate (2002 – 2011), Partner BTO (2011 – Present)

Work Highlights

  • Successfully defending a charge of culpable homicide in a landmark case against an individual;
  • Acting for individuals facing Section 37 prosecutions as sole directors at risk of losing liberty;
  • Acting for local authorities in a number of significant cases including an enforcement notice appeal;
  • Acting for a global facilities management company in an ongoing fatality;
  • Instructed in a multinational fraud investigation in the oil and gas sector;
  • The go-to solicitor of choice for regulatory matters in Scotland for top tier English firms.

Languages

English and French.

Memberships

Law Society of Scotland; Society of Solicitor Advocates; Health and Safety Lawyers’ Association; Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers, Medico-Legal Society, FOIL

Education

Glasgow University, LLB (Hons) (1999); Diploma in Legal Practice (2000) LLM Commercial Law (2001)

Personal

Enjoys open water swimming, music and travel.

Lawyer Rankings

Scotland > Employment > Health and safety

(Leading individuals)

Vikki Watt – BTO Solicitors LLP

Covering the full spectrum of health and safety work, BTO Solicitors LLP has a standout reputation in regulatory prosecutions and fatal accident inquiries by the police, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), local authorities and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). With Glasgow-based solicitor advocate Vikki Watt at the helm, the group represents various blue-chip insurers and is often instructed on a private basis; recent work encompasses the construction, oil and gas, healthcare, and food and drink sectors. Former prosecutor and senior associate Lindsay MacNeill is noted for her specialism in regulatory prosecutions.

Scotland > Crime, fraud and licensing > Crime: general

BTO Solicitors LLP provides ‘a truly bespoke service’, with ‘first-class’ advice provided to both individuals and other legal entities across a wide array of traditional criminal areas, with a unique and substantial growth in the volume of cases relating to fatal road traffic collisions. Vikki Watt heads the practice and specialises in the defence of criminal and regulatory prosecutions, with her varied experience including all aspects of criminal defence, serious assaults, fraud, sexual offences and culpable homicide.

Scotland > Crime, fraud and licensing > Crime: fraud

BTO Solicitors LLP offers ‘a team of highly experienced criminal lawyers who are skilled in dealing with corporate clients’, acting for a particularly diverse span of clients in high-risk sectors such as banking, academia, construction, charities and accountancy. Practice head and solicitor advocate Vikki Watt specialises in the defence of regulatory crime, routinely handling proceeds of crime cases and has regular dealings with the National Crime Agency (NCA). Criminal solicitor advocate Alasdair Gillies is a key contact, having acted for high-profile individuals in the sport, music and business sectors.

Lawyer Rankings

Top Tier Firm Rankings

Firm Rankings