Douglas Russell
Partner
Albany House, 58 Albany St, Edinburgh, EH1 3QR
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An industry leader in Dispute Resolution.
Douglas is accredited as a specialist in personal injury by the
Law Society. He leads the firm's Health & Safety team in
Edinburgh, rated top-tier by both Chambers Legal Guide and the
Legal 500. His practice spans personal injury and road traffic
claims, large and small, commercial disputes and a full range of
alternative dispute resolution services.
Douglas' clients in both the insurance and commercial sectors
benefit from his extensive experience of defender litigation and
dispute resolution. His expertise extends to catastrophic injury
and rehabilitation issues, and he has particular knowledge of the
agriculture sector and oil and gas industry. A skilled mediator, he
particularly enjoys resolving disputes by focussing on issues other
than simply the payment of money. He has appeared in many
tribunals, courts, fatal accident and public inquiries.
Out of the office, Douglas runs a 600 acre arable farm in Easter
Ross.
Career
Qualified 1981, joined Simpson & Marwick 1981, assumed
Partner 1983.
Management Board, Simpson & Marwick. Complaints Partner,
Simpson & Marwick.
Accredited specialist in Personal Injury by the Law Society of
Scotland. A member of the Ogden Working Party, a Law
Society Complaints Committee, the WS Society and The Law Society of
Scotland. Chair of The Law Society Mediation Panel and
Standing Committee for Registered Paralegals.
Douglas is a regular speaker at conferences and seminars,
organised by the Law Society and other training providers, and at
the firm's client conferences.
Recent notable work includes:
Tor Corporate v Chinese National Star
Petroleum. Douglas acted for a state owned Chinese oil
company in this high value international arbitration, the first of
its kind in Scotland. The case continues.
Piper Alpha. Douglas acted to defend his oil
industry clients following the explosion of the Piper Alpha rig in
1988, and in the subsequent litigation, which ran for many
years.
Kane v Harte and Another (2010). A
catastrophic injury case in which Douglas acted for the third party
and succeeded in securing a dismissal of this very high value
case.
Specialisms