Full-service legal firm Gilson Gray has introduced a new mass litigation service, supporting people all over Scotland with data protection and financial services claims, with the appointment of an experienced legal associate to lead the specialism.

Cat McGarrell joins the firm after nine years at Thompsons Solicitors as a group actions solicitor. During this time, she was responsible for a range of sensitive group cases involving personal injury and medical product liability and the Kenyan tea farmers’ claim against one of the largest global tea producers last year. In 2020, she raised Scotland’s first-ever group action under the chapter 26A group proceedings rules.

In her role at Gilson Gray, Cat will establish the new offering and will initially focus on cases involving financial misselling and GDPR breaches. Cat will also continue her work in the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry, where she represents Homeless Network Scotland – a group comprising over 40 housing and homelessness organisations including Social Bite, Shelter, and Crisis.

The introduction of the new service line comes on the back of a series of successes for Gilson Gray in well-publicised cases during 2023. Led by Rosie Walker, the litigation division – which specialises in commercial litigation and public law – successfully challenged the City of Edinburgh Council’s short-term let licensing policy and overturned the local authority’s strip club ban. The team also acted in the highest value commercial action raised in Scotland.

Gilson Gray’s fast-growing litigation team operates across offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, East Lothian and Aberdeen.

Rosie Walker, head of Litigation at Gilson Gray, said: “Following a strong year, we are building on our offering by introducing this new service line. The capability to handle group claims complements our core litigation expertise and opens the door to new markets and clients. The team’s continued growth reflects its strength and depth, and Cat’s experience will only add to our success to date. She has a proven track record in helping hundreds of people to resolve sensitive and complex issues and we are excited to welcome her on board.”

Cat McGarrell said: “Gilson Gray is a forward-thinking, rapidly expanding firm and I have been following Rosie’s career and case wins for some time. Mass litigation is an interesting and rewarding area of legal work and I am looking forward to taking that one step further in my new role, both leading the new specialism and helping it to grow.”