Colleague stories: Clare Wilson

From trainee to partner: Clare’s career at Lindsays

Clare Wilson joined Lindsays as a trainee in our Edinburgh office in 2007. Now a Partner in our Commercial Property team in Glasgow, she deals with a broad range of transactions and clients across multiple sectors, with particular expertise in the leisure and hospitality sector.

Starting out at Lindsays

I joined Lindsays straight from doing the Diploma in Legal Practice at the University of Edinburgh. At the time, they were offering fixed traineeships in a single department, and I chose the Commercial Property traineeship. I knew the vast majority of commercial firms had a Commercial Property department, so it seemed like a good foundation for my future career – and it was!

When I did my traineeship, Lindsays was much smaller. There were maybe four of us in the team and I was the most junior by a long way. I had a lot of senior support and guidance, and I was given my own transactions to run, even as a trainee.

Moving to the Glasgow office

After I’d worked in the Edinburgh office for a few years, the Partner I worked closely with moved to Glasgow and asked me to join them. I lived in Edinburgh at the time and didn’t even know Glasgow that well, so it was a bit daunting. But I thought, “OK, I'll give it a go. Why not?” The commercial property sector in Glasgow worked slightly differently to Edinburgh, but everyone was very welcoming.

The promotion track

I was promoted quite quickly to Associate and Senior Associate and then had a gap of around nine years or so before becoming a Partner. During that period, I had two maternity leaves and other things going on, so I switched to part-time working – which I continue to do. I’ve never felt pressured to take a step I wasn’t ready for.

In the 18 months to two years before becoming a partner, I was offered a lot of support. I had monthly catch-ups with Derek Nash, Head of the Commercial Property department, as part of a Partner Track programme he had created, and he also organised sessions with the Business Development Manager.

Advice for aspiring lawyers

Always look at the bigger picture. Being a lawyer is a very detail-oriented job, but from an early stage, you can start to build client relationships and network with other professionals.

It’s useful to realise that business development can take many different forms. It doesn’t necessarily mean going into a room full of people that you don't know, if that’s not your thing. It can be putting up a LinkedIn post, writing an article, or nurturing relationships with existing clients, because they may refer you to someone else or bring in repeat business.

And look for professional networks and find the ones that work for you. The people I met in those networks as an early-stage solicitor are now partners and directors – the decision- makers who are in a position to refer work.

I’d also recommend getting involved with charities or causes as an early-stage lawyer. It’s a good thing to do, and will give you transferable skills.