Remembering Margaret Hall

Margaret McArthur Hall, (nee Murray),  M.A. Ll.B., C.B.E., 29^th January 1933 - 25^th October 2024

It is as well for the legal profession that neither Margaret Murray, nor her father, followed the advice of the family solicitor. 1n 1950, when Margaret told her parents that  she wanted to go to University and study law,  they were perplexed, as no one in the family had been to University, far less studied law.

Robert and Jessie Murray ran a small paper shop and general store, in the middle of a council estate in Paisley. Margaret was the oldest of their four children.  Not only had no one in the family been to university, nor had any of their friends or neighbours. On hearing of his daughter’s ambitions, Robert Murray sought advice from his own solicitor.  The advice was not encouraging. Law was not a job for a woman, and no one would employ her.

Despite, or possibly because of this advice, Margaret enrolled at Glasgow University in 1950, and as was the norm in those days, graduated M.A., then Ll. B.

Margaret was one of only four women in her year who studied law. Only one other woman of the four went on to pursue a legal career, Elizabeth Kemp, who subsequently was assumed as a partner in MacPhail and Co., in Glasgow. Margaret and Elizabeth became firm friends, and their friendship lasted until Elizabeth’s death in 2014.

Writing of her reminiscences in a letter to the Scottish Legal News, in December 2017, Margaret recalled that at that time students had to serve a three year apprenticeship concurrently with studying for the Ll. B.  Lectures took place in the early morning and late afternoon, and on a Saturday morning, and students were required to working in their offices in between times! Apprenticeships in Glasgow were obtained by presenting oneself at the Royal Faculty of Procurators.  Margaret’s recollection was that after some questions about her religion, she was then given a list of firms seeking apprentices, and went to the nearest firm where, after a brief interview, was told to report back the next Monday!

During her time at university. Margaret met Maurice Hall, a fellow Arts student, and the couple married in 1958, starting off married life in a houseboat in Bowling . Margaret continued to work in private practice until the birth of her two daughters.  Margaret took a break from her legal career, maternity leave not being contemplated at that time.

After a few years Margaret returned to work, but she did not follow the usual path for women solicitors at that time. She was employed firstly with the East Kilbride Development Corporation. From there she went on to work with the Scottish Industrial Estates Corporation. This became the Scottish Development Agency, then Scottish Enterprise. Margaret became Chief Solicitor of Scottish Enterprise, retiring from there in 1992. However, she was not just their legal adviser, she was very committed to the ethos of the organisation and its aims. Her daughters recall her sitting up until one or two in the morning, working on her papers, then going into the office a few hours later.

As Chief Solicitor with Scottish Enterprise, Margaret dealt with the legal complexities of many high value and high importance projects. One of the most demanding was the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988. Her work in this, and in other matters, did not go unrecognised. She was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1991, receiving her award from the late Queen, in Buckingham Palace.

Margaret was one of the first two women members of the Council of the Law Society of Scotland, along with the late Ethel Houston. In 1975, Margaret and Ethel attended their first Law Society Council meeting. Margarett recalled, in her letter to the Scottish Legal News ,that they were both somewhat apprehensive about how they would be received. Margaret recalled that all went well, and they quickly settled into the routine.

Margaret was a very private person and very unassuming. Despite her very successful career, she  was not one to boast about her achievements or position in the legal world. Her acquaintances and neighbours would have been surprised to learn of these, as they were not things she discussed.

After retirement, Margaret and Maurice moved to the Dunoon area. Margaret put her talents to good use there, setting up a Book Group, and becoming an Elder of the local church.  She was one of the driving forces behind the successful application to obtain Lottery funding for the restoration of the historic church organ. Margaret also took up Bridge, at which she proved to be extremely talented, and her New Years Day Bridge lunch was legendary!

Sadly, Maurice died in 2008, but Margaret continued to be very involved in the local community and continued to be passionate about Bridge.

Even into her eighties, her legal brain was as sharp as ever. She decided, at the age of 81, that she was going to buy a new car. She arranged a test drive, and being satisfied with that, advised the car salesman that she wished to buy a new car of that type. The car salesman was delighted, clearly thinking Christmas had come early. The paperwork was duly completed, and the car salesman produced a glossy pamphlet, thanking customers for their business, and extolling the great qualities of that business, along with some photographs of smiling drivers.

The car salesman, still in a euphoric state, presented said pamphlet to Margaret and assured her  that if there were any problems- any problems at all, she could bring the car straight back to them and get her money back. He assured Margaret that this was all set out it the pamphlet. Margaret studied the pamphlet for some time then said to the car salesman that, whilst she had no intention of returning the car, could he show her exactly where in the pamphlet, it said that she could do so. The euphoria of the car salesman turned to panic, and the manager of the showroom required to be called over, to reassure Margaret that she could indeed return the car, if there was any problem, despite that not being said in the pamphlet!

Sadly, Margaret suffered a stroke in 2018, and her mental and physical health declined. She bore this with quiet dignity and passed away on 25^th October 2024, in the presence of her two daughters.

Written by her daughter, Christine Adam