Paul Mullen

Having being granted Extended Rights of Audience (Criminal) in 2019 Paul has built an enviable High Court practice as a Solicitor Advocate. He routinely represents accused in The High Court of Justiciary in the most serious prosecutions and his successful Trial record is noted by clients and fellow Solicitors across the country.

Having completed his traineeship with one of Glasgow’s largest firms he remained with that firm and was quickly assumed as a Partner and went on to lead the successful criminal litigation team.

Widely regarded an expert Trial lawyer and accomplished court performer he has conducted countless jury trials throughout Scotland and is often instructed in complex and long running High Court prosecutions. He is available for cases outside of Glasgow and will regularly travel to Edinburgh, and beyond, to defend his clients.

He is equally adept at representing clients out of court and before various tribunals. He is on-call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. He routinely provides assistance for clients in police stations throughout Scotland and will attend at short notice often at weekends and evenings. He is one of only a few solicitors in Scotland to have completed SUPRALAT (Strengthening Suspect’s Right in Pre-Trial Proceedings through Practice-Oriented training for Lawyers) training so as to ensure that clients are provided with the best form of defence at the outset of cases even before a case proceeds to court.

As the Partner at the firm responsible for training young lawyers, Paul is dedicated to arranging CPD for his colleagues. He routinely organises and presents seminars on subjects pertinent to his practice such as:

• The Rape Shield
• Contempt of Court
• Use of Technology in Courts
• The art of cross-examination
• Dealing with vulnerable witnesses

Paul is also routinely asked to speak to Faculties throughout Scotland to provide CPD for both Solicitors and Solicitor Advocates alike.

Paul prides himself on his good relationship with clients, the court and the prosecution service. With a down-to-earth manner and an ability to convey legal matters in an understandable way for clients, he always tries to calm any fears that a client may have about going to court or even dealing with a lawyer. He will always reply to correspondence and is more than happy to provide clients with his mobile phone number to answer queries or discuss strategy at a time convenient to the client.

Indeed, Paul has been at the forefront of technological advances in the profession which aim make it easier to communicate with clients. He was part of a successful pilot scheme launched in 2013 which uses video technology to communicate with prisoners without the need to physically travel to prison. He regularly contacts clients via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype or FaceTime for the purpose of keeping clients informed about their case if they are too busy to travel to the office due to work or family commitments.

As an executive member of the Glasgow Bar Association Paul prides himself on defending the rights of his fellow solicitors that practice at the bar of court. In 2022 he was appointed to the committee of the Society of Solicitor Advocates. In 2023 he was appointed as an ad hoc Advocate Depute and has prosecuted a number of cases in the High Court of Justiciary on behalf of the Lord Advocate.

In his spare time Paul enjoys playing golf and running (slowly) at his local Parkrun. He also enjoys spending time with his wife and runs a part-time taxi service for his two children to get them to and from their various clubs and activities during the week.