60 seconds with... Sustainability Committee member

Peter Brash, Partner at Grigor & Young Solicitors in Elgin, is an accredited specialist in Personal Injury Law and a member of the Law Society of Scotland’s Sustainability Committee.

Sophie McIvor spoke with Peter Brash about the development of the committee over the last year and how smaller firms can take action.

Peter, could you start by telling us a bit about your career so far?

I grew up in Edinburgh and also went to university and did my traineeship there. I joined Grigor & Young (G&Y) in 1992 and have been with the firm ever since. I have specialised in personal injury law because, among other things, delict is the area of law I’ve always found most interesting and one where it feels like you can make a positive difference to disrupted lives. But, with this being a high-street firm, I also need to deal with a few different areas of law such as private client and management things.

It’s been about a year since the Sustainability Committee came into fruition – what made you want to join the new initiative and do you have reflections on what the experience has been like?

Although I am not an expert in sustainability, this has always interested me as an ‘enthusiast’ and I’ve been involved in several projects over the years, such as planting marram grass at Clachtoll Beach in Sutherland to combat erosion. I also ran Marine Conservation Society beach clean-ups at Lossiemouth for our children’s primary school for 10 years. Although I have never been on a Law Society Committee before, I knew immediately that I wanted to give this one a try. It’s a good chance to network and collaborate, and it’s rewarding to learn from colleagues on the committee, many of whom are subject experts in sustainability issues.

One of the biggest queries the legal sector encounters when it comes to sustainability is how smaller firms can prioritise focusing on this when they also have to think about compliance, running the business and so on. What advice would you give them?

Just put it on the agenda. Start to talk about what things you can do, no matter how small. Climate change issues can quickly feel overwhelming, but we need to keep finding ways to have conversations about these issues so we feel inspired to try something new. For example, at G&Y, we occupy Victorian buildings in Elgin and Forres. In the past few years, we’ve gradually completed double-glazing of all windows and upgraded our heating systems. We got free assessments and advice through Business Energy Scotland. With an increasing number of refill stores appearing in our area (Lossiemouth, Findhorn and Nairn), we’re also bulk-buying environmentally friendly cleaning products locally and reuse the plastic bottles. These are just small steps but they make a difference. Even in small firms, changes like these can be made slowly and incrementally, and not only will they enhance the sustainability of your business but your climate-conscious adjustments will sooner or later end up being a positive differentiator for clients and employees too.

Looking ahead, what does the Sustainability Committee hope to achieve in the next year?

The Sustainability Committee wants to make a noticeable impact on the Law Society and on the profession. Up to this point, while we have had generally positive feedback, we know there is lots more to do. We would like sustainability to be embedded in decision-making across all sections of the legal profession, just like financial viability or equality. We hope to increase the number of outreach events we put on and to further develop the Lawscot Sustainability hub. We are always looking to collaborate with like-minded groups across the legal profession, within Scotland and beyond. The ideal for me is that we become so successful in delivering our aims that the need for our committee disappears.

For those who might need persuading, what one change could every solicitor make to help the sector become more sustainable? And what do you think that impact would look like?

It’s probably best to try to make lots of wee changes, such as subscribing to an email newsletter about sustainability issues. I like the 365-days-a-year Daily Difference from The Carbon Almanac because it’s a two-minute read and usually fairly encouraging in tone. Here’s a sustainability idea from that source: If you own a car, you can save 3.3% (i.e. probably hundreds of pounds a year) on what you normally spend on fuel just by properly inflating your tyres. Better fuel mileage directly translates into cash in your pocket and significantly lowers your carbon emissions. The majority of cars run on underinflated tyres.

Finally, what keeps you busy outside of work?

Despite living in Lossiemouth for more than 30 years, it still feels like being on holiday at the seaside and I enjoy the beaches. I love cycling to and from work on an Active Travel Route; I’m involved with the local development trust and a charity trying to develop more routes in Moray (Lossiemouth to Hopeman is the ‘holy grail’ for me). My main outside-work interest is playing the fiddle. I’m a member of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra and enjoy going to workshops, festivals and concerts in that vein. I often play a few tunes at work first thing in the morning before anyone else arrives. Our close family – including our three children and our grandson – are in Moray, Edinburgh, Manchester and Germany and we like to spend as much time with them as possible.