Celebrating success

I had the honour of hosting an admission ceremony for recently qualified solicitors in the beautiful surroundings of Edinburgh’s Signet Library in March, our first of 2024. More than 60 solicitors received their admission certificates in front of parents, family and friends. We were delighted too to welcome Lady Dorrian, the Lord Justice Clerk, as our guest speaker, and it was a joy to hear her speech, full of wise words and encouragement for the new members of the profession. Admission ceremonies are one of my favourite events as President. The smiles, the enthusiasm of our newest solicitors, and the pride they have in their achievements all make me smile.

It’s rather a long time since my own admission ceremony but, as I’ve said before, I am no less proud now than I was then to be a Scottish solicitor. It should make us all proud that we are members of our profession, held in high regard across the world. 

It’s also been a month of members’ forum meetings, with more next month, as I try to ensure I visit every one of our constituencies before my Presidency ends. It’s another favourite element of my role, and something I regard as very important as part of my commitment for us to be a Law Society for all of Scotland. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the meetings so far and am looking forward to those still to come. Members have been open and willing to discuss all sorts of topics, from aspects of our work that they welcome as part of their membership to those subjects where they’d like to see more from the Society.

The team here at our office in Atria One in Edinburgh work incredibly hard to deliver the best service they can for members, and finding out about what members want from our Member Services Directorate is a big part of members’ forums. Some members admitted that the Society appears rather frightening to them – they talk of AML, regulation and complaints. That made me slightly sad.   We have roles to fulfil, admittedly, but the staff I work with are approachable and always willing to help, and upholding our high standards benefits us all. Whatever your concern, reach out with your queries and your issues – we’re genuinely here to help.

I hesitate to pick out any one part of the Law Society team but it was particularly pleasing to hear the universal compliments from members about our Professional Practice team, led by Fiona Robb, a part of our Member Services Directorate. Whatever your stage in our profession, a single call about a problem can help point you in the right direction and it was quite clear that this service is very much valued. I always wonder whether our new solicitors are aware of it. We should all spread the word that it is available for anyone. It’s confidential, and something I have used throughout my career when difficult situations arise. I remember searching for an earlier version of the then current version of some of our Rules in the course of an ongoing court case – hard to locate on paper! I called the Professional Practice team: could they help? The then head of Professional Practice, Bruce Ritchie, offered to see what could be done, up against my (by my own admission) ridiculous time limit and, after a sort of treasure hunt for the safe key in the old Society offices on Drumsheugh Gardens, the team came up trumps within hours. I’ve called them too, within the last year, about an ethical question, and received clear and helpful advice very quickly. Even Law Society presidents need help sometimes! I encourage all my team in my own office to phone Professional Practice if they have a problem – they should not feel constrained in doing so and they do not need my permission. Of all the services we have, this is definitely a number to have somewhere on your desk.

I’ve talked before about other services for members and the work we’ve done on wellbeing is a brilliant example. The website is full of useful information and courses to help us all manage the stresses and strains of legal life today. It would be remiss of me not to mention this subject in a month where much focus has been on the tragic circumstances surrounding the death of a female partner in England from one of our largest firms. Being a professional in today’s world is not easy but there is much help and support on offer. Take a look at our wellbeing pages – looking after yourself is so important. To our newest solicitors, set good habits in terms of self-care from the start. For everyone else, it’s never too late.

And so, my playlist additions for April (how can it be April already…?):

• Dance the Night Away, The Mavericks – a favourite in our family, it always makes all of us smile.
• Carolina in My Mind, James Taylor – this takes me back to sailing on an old America’s Cup sail ship in the Calibogue Sound off South Carolina, as the sun set. It’s a memory that always helps me reset.

Written by Sheila Webster, President