Mr Simon Catto > Addleshaw Goddard > Edinburgh, United Kingdom > Lawyer Profile

Active across a broad range of debt recovery disputes, Addleshaw Goddard‘s practice includes group co-heads Lynsey Walker and Alan Sinclair, who are based in Edinburgh and Glasgow respectively; Walker is a specialist finance litigator and Sinclair excels in debt recovery work and insolvency-related issues. The group is singled out for its knowledge of complex recoveries, enforcement work and insolvency claims. Simon Catto, who leads the litigation team in Scotland also contributes to the practice.

Counting regional and international corporations among its key roster of clients, the ‘highly knowledgeable team’ at Addleshaw Goddard is routinely instructed to assist with contractual disputes, shareholder litigation and procurement challenges alongside insolvency proceedings. Following the departure of Joan Devine in April 2022, the team bolstered its numbers with the arrival of Claire Thornber (previously at Weightmans LLP), who specialises in commercial property and insolvency litigation, and Douglas Blyth (particular expertise in insolvency disputes) from Dentons; both are solicitor advocates. Other key contacts in the group include practice leader Simon Catto, Alan Sinclair, who handles contentious insolvency mandates, and legal director Edward Gratwick.

Simon Catto heads up Addleshaw Goddard‘s broader dispute resolution practice, which includes legal director and solicitor advocate Edward Gratwick, the firm’s main contact for property litigation. Much of Gratwick’s recent work requires commercial litigation expertise but he has also assisted private clients with residential sector disputes. Capabilities in dilapidations and insolvency-related work were strengthened with the arrival of Claire Thornber from Weightmans LLP in September 2022.

Renowned for its football sector capabilities, Addleshaw Goddard is a regular advisor to major Scottish and international clubs, individuals and governing bodies on a range of contentious and non-contentious sporting mandates, including season ticket finance. Seasoned litigator Simon Catto often acts for players and clubs in contractual disputes, while Helena Brown concentrates on commercial and regulatory issues, which has involved supporting high-profile clients undergoing digital transformation post-pandemic. Solicitor advocate Erin Grieve, promoted to managing associate in September 2022, is also active on the contentious side, representing clubs and bodies in court hearings and arbitrations. Catto and Brown jointly spearhead the Edinburgh-based practice.