Thorntons builds on Aberdeen growth with residential-property partner appointment
Independent Scottish law firm, Thorntons, has appointed Stephanie Mann as a partner in its Aberdeen office, to lead the firm’s residential-property practice in the city.
Stephanie was born and educated in Aberdeen and has built her career in the northeast. She trained at Aberdein Considine, where she ran its Ellon and Peterhead offices early in her career, and has spent the past six years as a partner leading a residential-property team in the city. Her client base spans first-time buyers, home movers and property investors.
She also lectures on the conveyancing element of the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at Robert Gordon University, which teaches students across Scotland online.
Debbie Brechin, who has worked with Stephanie for 13 years, also joins the firm in Aberdeen as a senior paralegal.
Stephanie said: “I’m Aberdeen born and bred, and in a market like this one, clients want an approachable solicitor who knows the city and the shire. Thorntons gives me the scale and the support of a national firm without losing the friendly, people-first approach I’ve always taken with clients.
“This is a great time for Debbie and me to join Thorntons, and I’m looking forward to supporting the firm’s growth in the Aberdeen area.”
Thorntons opened its first permanent Aberdeen office in October 2025 through a merger with Golden Square-based, family-law practice Patience and Buchan.
The firm then appointed construction specialists Jennifer Young and Sarah Stuart, who are long-established advisers to the region’s construction and engineering sector, as part of ambitious plans to bring specialist legal services to clients in the northeast.
Adding residential property to its services marks a strategic expansion of Thorntons’ property and construction practice. It will also complement the work of family-law specialists Ashley Simpson and Lorna Buchan, whose services include helping international families to relocate to Scotland.
Lesley Larg, managing partner at Thorntons, said: “Our first year in Aberdeen was about looking after the clients who came to us through Patience and Buchan while also establishing ourselves in the city.
“Since then, we have listened to our clients and started to build a practice that will support them in their businesses, and their lives. Residential property was always the obvious next step, and Stephanie's reputation across the northeast meant she was the person we wanted to lead it.
“Aberdeen is central to the firm's growth ambitions, and we'll continue to invest in the quality legal services our clients expect, in the city and beyond.”
Headquartered in Dundee, Thorntons is one of Scotland's largest independent law firms, with offices across the country from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Inverness, Perth and Aberdeen.
The firm offers expertise spanning corporate, employment, intellectual property, private client, family, agricultural and litigation law, and has almost 700 people across Scotland, including over 75 partners.
Pictured left-right: Debbie Brechin, senior paralegal, Jennifer Young, partner and Stephanie Mann, partner
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