Raising the bar

We speak to outgoing president Sheila Webster about speaking up for the profession, championing inclusivity and inspiring the next generation of lawyers in Scotland.

“Law always interested me,” Sheila says with a smile. “I’m the first in my family to go to university and be involved in law in any way.”

If you were reaching certain academic levels at school, she explains, you were told to study law, medicine or accountancy. “I can’t stand the sight of blood and although I was good at maths, that wasn’t my future,” she adds.

After studying law at the University of Aberdeen, Sheila moved to Edinburgh to practise. Despite setting her sights on corporate law, it was dispute resolution that Sheila fell in love with ­– and she hasn’t looked back since.

“A message I say to solicitors coming into the profession now is try not to have too much of a fixed view as to what you want to do because you might surprise yourself,” she says.

When Sheila started her career 30 years ago, dispute resolution was all about being a litigation lawyer and practising in court. “That is still true to some extent, but we’ve come to recognise that there are other ways of resolving disputes that may be quicker, not as expensive and less confrontational,” she explains. “Arbitration is one of those, along with expert determination and mediation.”

As both an arbitrator and someone who represents clients in property-related disputes that are being dealt with by arbitration, she adds: “If you’re regularly helping clients in a dispute situation, you need to understand all the alternatives available to a client in that case.”

Speaking up for the profession

Having been a member of Council for the Law Society of Scotland since 2017, Sheila took the reins as President in May last year. “It’s a complete honour and privilege to be allowed to lead the profession and I’ll never forget that,” she says. “It’s been a wonderful and incredibly busy year, but challenging in a lot of ways.”

Juggling her job as a partner at a commercial practice, life as a mum to twins and managing family illness, she adds: “I’ve tried as far as I humanly can to say yes to as many things as I can and speak for the profession.

“Being interviewed on the Today programme was undoubtedly a highlight ­– it was so out of my comfort zone but a good experience.”

Over the past year, three Bills have been presented to the Scottish Parliament that will have major implications for the profession in Scotland: the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill, the Judicial Factors (Scotland) Bill, and the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill. “That’s taken up a lot of my time,” she explains. “These are among the biggest pieces of legislation that will affect the profession for many years ­– it will be generational change.”

As for the next 12 months, she adds: “We are good at adapting to whatever change we have to, but embedding these new rules and making them work for clients will be the biggest challenge.”

Championing inclusivity  

At the start of her tenure, Sheila wanted to be a president for all of Scotland, not just for the big cities. “I hope members feel that I’ve done that,” she says. “I’ve travelled as far as I possibly could in the time I’ve had to meet members from the Borders to Shetland and the Western Isles. It’s a long time since any of our presidents have managed to achieve that.

“Giving people an opportunity to tell me how they think we as a Society are doing has been hugely important to me.”

Attending events, be it admission ceremonies, dinners for undergraduates or think tanks, has been a highlight for Sheila. “I was nearly brought to tears when a female undergraduate turned to me and said, ‘You’ve given me hope’, while someone else said, ‘I can do what you’ve done’. You realise that for a person starting out in law, you’re a role model – those moments will never leave me.”

Such events have also promoted diversity within the profession. “It’s about highlighting that for many women it’s still quite challenging to reach the top of their careers if that’s what they want. However, it’s not just for women to talk among themselves about how we can change things, we need to work together with men.”

Inspiring the next generation   

So what’s next for Sheila? In the short term, it’s a well-deserved holiday before returning to her full-time job at Davidson Chalmers Stewart. “I’ll be doing as little as possible and disconnecting from all technology.

“Beyond that, I really don’t know. Many presidents get to this point and decide to step back from practice and retire. I’m not ready to do that. I’m hopeful I’ll continue to be involved in some of the things that affect the profession, and be asked to be on panels and committees where I’ll be able to make a difference. Whatever opportunities come my way, I’d like to think I’ll embrace them with all that I’ve got.”

As for her legacy, Sheila says: “I hope all the young solicitors I’ve met heard my message about the sky’s the limit for all of us, and it doesn’t matter what your background is. If you’re determined and you believe in yourself, you can do it.”

Future-proofing the profession

Given the potential challenges over the next 12 months, how can we future-proof the profession? “We’ve got to continually look at ourselves and make sure we’re doing the best for our clients, whether those be individuals or businesses,” Sheila explains.

“We serve a society which has all different kinds of people, so diversity and inclusion become much more important. We need to ensure we’re well prepared and able to meet the demand that will be made of us, but funding is going to be at the heart of it all.”

Music to your ears 

From Harry Styles to Ultravox, music has been a feature of Sheila’s presidency after she created a playlist for each of her monthly updates. “Music helps me to relax, so it’s a big part of my wellbeing. It allows me to express my emotions and I listen to a wide range of music.”

But, Sheila says, it was her husband who came up with the idea: “He said you should make a playlist to remember what you were doing during the year, so every time you play it you’ll remember what you were doing at that point.”

Sheila’s top tips for Incoming President Susan Murray

• Get all the sleep you can get – you’re going to need it
• Say yes to as much as you can and enjoy it
• Listen to what the profession tells you
• Be proud – I’m incredibly proud to be a Scottish solicitor and so should every single member of our profession

Written by Katie Smith, writer and journalist