About Kirsten

I studied law at Aberdeen University and then joined a large Aberdeen firm to complete my traineeship. The vast majority of my traineeship focused on family law and I developed a real interest in practicing in this field upon qualifying. I secured a family law position in Aberdeen upon qualifying in 2009. I joined Balfour+Manson in 2016 as an associate in the Aberdeen office.

As a family lawyer I am keen to try and dispel the myth that family law matters but particularly separation and divorce matters, will always end up in a fierce battle in court. Whilst court action will be appropriate at times and I have gained a great deal of knowledge and experience in representing clients at court, I feel that there is now, more so than ever, a place for alternative ways of resolving disputes such as mediation, collaboration and arbitration that give greater control to my clients in securing an outcome that works for them. I have trained and practice as a collaborative solicitor.

Specialist area

I specialise in family law and advise clients on a wide spectrum of cases including divorce, cohabitation, separation, pre-nuptial/post-nuptial agreements, child residence and contact, adoption, including international adoption and children’s hearing work.

When dealing with divorce and separation matters I like to use the collaborative law process where this is appropriate. I’ve gained a wealth of experience in negotiating settlements for my clients using this process as well as more traditional methods of dispute resolution. In some cases court action will however be necessary. Since qualifying I’ve been involved in a number of novel and complex court cases, including Court of Session cases. I appear regularly at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and other courts in Scotland if required. 

I’ve gained an insight in to children’s hearing work through my role as a panel practice advisor for the Children’s Panel in Aberdeen. I really enjoy undertaking adoption work for clients, whether that involves step family adoptions, adoption of a child placed by an adoption authority or adoptions with international elements and I’ve been fortunate enough to involved with a variety of adoption matters over the years.

Follow the Family Law team on twitter @bmfamilylaw

Memberships

• Accredited by the Law Society Scotland as a Specialist in Family Law
• Family Law Association
• Consensus
• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
• Recognised by Chambers and Partners UK Guide to the Legal Profession in 2018 as an Associate to Watch and a Leader in my field.

What do our clients say about Kirsten?

"Thank you Kirsten for this summary and for our “meeting” last week. I can honestly say that it was much easier than I had anticipated and I really liked the way that you handled the situation with equal measures of warmth, compassion and professionalism."

“I can’t thank you enough for all your help in these matters and your assistance has been exemplary and outstanding to say the least."

“I thought you were superb. Your knowledge, experience, confidence and focus were absolutely evident and in turn helped me to remain calm, in what was a very intense morning from my point of view. Although I know nothing really about your job - you are clearly fantastic at it!”

What does Chambers & Legal 500 say about Kirsten

Chambers 2023

"Kirsten made me feel very much at ease. She took the time to explain every step and made me feel comfortable with my choices."

"She is creative in managing complex situations."