I did my training with Lindsays and then went to London to work with a City law firm. I returned to Edinburgh in 1993 to help develop the commercial and business side of the firm, and was made a partner in the Commercial team in 1994. I then went onto head up the Corporate & Technology Group (CTG) and am now the firms managing partner. It’s challenging and rewarding in equal measure.
My current role gives me the opportunity to develop the business side of the practice and, through my role on the board, the firm as a whole. The CTG team now comprises fourteen people with six partners all of whom have experience working in large Scottish firms or London City firms. It’s been an exciting challenge to be involved in the growth of the CTG team and to bring in such talented lawyers. We have real strengths in our Education/IP/IT practice and have been involved in some of the most significant transactions in this field in Scotland over the past couple of years.
Through my involvement with the management board, I have been working closely with Ian Beattie, our COO, to strengthen the firm as a whole and develop our service offering in Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Borders. Being involved in all aspects of the management of the firm has given me a real practical insight into how the business works.
For me personally, what makes my job here so enjoyable is the people, the quality of the work we do, and the environment in which we work. It’s a genuinely friendly place to work. There are no airs and graces and we have worked hard to create a good working atmosphere for all our people. We have an open-plan environment with teams sitting together, and this really helps with communication and being able to support each other. We are a partnership and I enjoy the collegiate spirit that evokes.
