Profile: Lauren Wright

Tell us a bit about your career so far?

I graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 2010, and following completion of my Diploma, I began my traineeship at Wink & Mackenzie in Elgin in June 2011. I qualified in 2013 having trained in residential conveyancing and private client matters, and became a partner at Wink & Mackenzie in 2018. In 2019, our firm merged with Harper Macleod, where I was also a partner until May 2021. I joined another local law firm before deciding to set up my own law firm, which I opened in July 2022.   

What drew you to joining the Trust & Succession Law Committee?

It has been a wish of mine since the day I started my traineeship to join this committee. Succession law is what I am most passionate about and find the most interesting.

Have you been surprised by anything you have gained from being a part of the committee?

I very much wanted to be part of the discussions regarding change, developments and guidance in terms of the practical side of the law. Not only that, but because I have such an interest and passion for this area of law, I believed it would be a very enjoyable group to be part of, and it is!  

Has your perception of the Society changed since you joined the committee?

My perception of the Society hasn’t changed as a result as such, but it has made me appreciate the work that all of these committees do for the greater good of the legal profession.

What are the main issues that you think the Society/the profession should be addressing at the moment? 

I believe that the Society and the profession should be taking a closer look at “people management” and the way in which it is done. For effective change, I think it would be beneficial for regular training to be undertaken by partners and others who are people managers in the profession on an annual basis and consideration given to making it compulsory CPD. 

While there is a huge amount of regulation on the profession in terms of AML checks, source of funds, conflicts of interest and accounts rules etc, the legal sector is not alone in overlooking management training; however I think more awareness is needed around training and supporting partners with people management responsibilities. Not every firm has a HR department, and partners who become people managers often don’t have the experience to deal with staff wellbeing, knowledge of specific aspects of employment law, stress management etc. 

While there is more discussion about mental health, there is no doubt that for a number in the profession there is still a very real sense that someone can be perceived as “weak” or “not cut out for the law” if they express concerns about their workload and lack of work-life balance. If people management were to become more of a focus for the profession, we’d be able to improve managerial skills, retain young talent at a better rate and we’d all have a healthier work-life balance across the workplace. There are of course external factors that we can’t control, but we can still do a lot to improve how we work within our own workplaces, and getting the right support is vital.

What keeps you busy outside of work?

Outside of work, I love going to the gym, running and walking. Fitness classes are a great way to switch off and socialise with others too, some of my favourite classes being Body Combat and 567 Broadway dance classes. In my spare time, I regularly go to the cinema, and to various gigs, both music and comedy gigs, my favourites to see live being The Script and Mark Watson, respectively.  Being a foodie, I love going out for food and trying new places both locally and throughout Scotland – I usually base my holiday destinations on the quality of the food they have and would recommend Las Vegas if you want to put your diet aside while you’re away! I also enjoy reading fiction books, usually with a dystopian theme – my all-time favourite book being The Beach and my current favourite being Before the Coffee Gets Cold.