Carly is an Associate in our commercial disputes team based in Edinburgh. Carly is qualified in Scotland and in England and Wales and has acted for clients throughout the UK across a variety of sectors, including hospitality and leisure, sports, finance and retail.

Carly has been recognised by the Legal 500 as a Leading Associate in Commercial Litigation and was nominated for Rising Star of the Year in Commercial Litigation at the Legal 500 Scotland Awards in 2024. She was also named as one of The Sunday Times’ The Business 25 Women in Law to Watch 2024.

Areas of practice include:

Sector experience includes:

Sport, Entertainment and Media

Admitted

2021: Scotland
2023: England and Wales

Relevant experience

Advising a luxury UK beauty brand in relation to brand dilution and product liability risk arising from the circulation of products, including ‘dupe’ products, via unauthorised retailers.
Successfully enforcing the intellectual property rights of international sports organisation to prevent the unauthorised sale of match tickets.
Advising a social media agency in relation to allegations of trademark infringement and associated brand protection issues, which included successfully defending our client’s use of their name in the relevant market.
Negotiating venue hire and merchandising agreements for concerts hosted at Murrayfield Stadium during a secondment to Scottish Rugby.
Advising chemical company on various breaches of contract by its counterparties, including advice in relation to counterclaims against our client and negotiation strategy, resulting in settlement of all claims.
Advising high-profile golf body in relation to the production and sale of branded merchandise by an unauthorised third-party, including strategic advice on the removal of products from circulation to mitigate the risk of brand dilution.
Acting as local counsel to international clients in relation to claims under Scottish jurisdiction.
Advising publicly listed company in relation to GDPR breaches and defending damage and distress claims made against it as a result of those breaches.
Advising Scottish sports organisation in relation to high-profile shareholder and governance disputes.
Advising various clients in relation to the risk management and potential claims arising against employees following their transfer of confidential information from our clients’ servers to personal accounts, including pursuing a Section 1 Petition for the recovery of documents in the Court of Session and the subsequent interdict action against the defender.
Advising group companies in the drinks industry in relation to breach of warranty claims against the seller of the subsidiary company, including advice on litigation and settlement strategy. The claims raised in the Court of Session were highly contentious and settled at mediation.

“Our experience working with Matt Phillip and Carly Duckett at Shepherd and Wedderburn was marked by professionalism, expertise and unwavering dedication to client satisfaction. Their exemplary qualities as legal professionals not only distinguished them within their field but also reflected the firm’s commitment to delivering exceptional results.”

Secret Garden Distillery (2024)

Further information:

Recognition and memberships

Listed in Sunday Times The Business 25 Women in Law to Watch 2025, The Business (2025)
Leading Associate (Commercial Litigation), Legal 500 (2025, 2026)
Nominee, Rising Star of the Year (Commercial Litigation), Legal500 (2024/25)
Member, Women in Sports Law (WISLaw) (2024 – present)
Judicial Panel Member, The Scottish Football Association (2024 – present)
Member, International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA) (2023 – present)
Member, British Association for Sport and Law (BASL) (2022 – present)