In her twelfth year as an Advocate, Donna is a child law specialist and is an expert at conducting children referral proofs. She enjoys all child related work. She has successfully conducted multiple highly complex medical referral proofs. She acts for the child, safeguarder or other relevant person in such proceedings. She guides solicitors through these types of cases and has the knowledge base of what experts to use and when.
Her vast criminal experience and cross-examination capabilities ensure she is adept at handling any type of witness, skilled or otherwise, and this transferable skillset translates easily into contact cases and family law.
She also appears in both the Court of Session and the Civil Appeal Court
Donna is proficient at dealing with vulnerable witnesses. She is experienced in associated procedure in both criminal and children’s cases, for example, in s275, s175 and vulnerable witness applications. Donna conducts adoption and permanence proofs as well.
She is committee member of the Faculty of Advocates Bar Association and member of the Association of Lawyers for Children (ALC).
Donna has accrued 30 years’ experience appearing in courts across Scotland. In this time, Donna has conducted over 200 high court trials, dealing with all aspects of crime from rape to attempted murder.
She has also also been involved in number of successful criminal appeals – some detailed below.