Profile: Jordan Scott

Could you tell us about your career to date?

I started my traineeship in September of last year, so I am almost halfway through my training contract with Morton Fraser already. 

With an interest in more of the commercial transactions side of the profession, I was pleased to be in the Banking & Finance team for my first seat, where I was involved in a range of work from traditional corporate debt transactions through to asset and invoice finance.  

I then moved in March to the Commercial Litigation team where I have been working on a range of disputes, including those relating to commercial contracts or breaches of director duties. As I am now coming to the end of my six months with the Litigation team, my next rotation is to the Corporate team, which I look forward to.  

What made you want to study law? 

A good question; one I haven't a simple answer for. Having not watched Suits or the like until starting my studies, I can't claim that popular answer, so I suppose there were probably three combined reasons. 

The first is I much preferred dealing with words rather than numbers at school, so I wanted to pursue something in literature but, as a naive 17-year-old, I didn't see the utility in an English degree if you weren't going to become an English teacher. It followed then that the next best thing was to study law. From there, I was able to gain a week's work experience with DLA Piper in their Edinburgh office, which gave me a great insight into the profession as I hadn't thought of being a lawyer outside of a courtroom and enjoyed the varied work of a solicitor. 

Then lastly, I have always been attracted to working in London, so when I found out I could study English and Scots law at the University of Dundee, it was quite obvious to me that that was where I was going.

You’ve recently said how supportive the Lawscot Foundation has been in your journey through university and beyond. What did you find most beneficial?

As I have mentioned before, the Foundation was and continues to be extremely important in not just mine but many others' journeys within the law. Though support came in different forms, I found the most beneficial to be the mentorship programme. 

I was fortunate to be paired with a great mentor who worked in the private client space. Though this wasn't something I was particularly interested in, I think it was more beneficial in that I was really able to pick her brain on the non-technical side of her job. You hear about transferable skills a lot in the legal world, but being able to learn about these almost first hand at an early stage in my career made all the difference when applying for traineeships in the coming years. 

It was also just refreshing to see that my future career had normal people in it. I do mean that in its truest sense. It comes as no surprise that I hadn't much experience dealing with lawyers in my school years; it was only ever what you heard, read or watched which shaped your view of the profession and that was rarely positive nor accurate. This made my applications a lot less pretentious as it were, as I was pitching myself to people, not just lawyers.   

What advice would you have for students ahead of their traineeships? 

If I am in a position to offer any advice, other than to work hard and do what you find meaningful, it would be to gain a network as early as possible and continue to grow it. If you don't have a traineeship yet, speaking to those who do and who are further into their careers can offer invaluable help in pursuing one. 

Having a strong and ever-growing network is good advice I think for solicitors and non-solicitors alike. However, from a legal perspective, having good contacts can be useful for referring and being referred work, but also for being able to progress your own career through being in touch with a range of different people at different stages. I also think if you don't see yourself working in the profession forever, being able to have a network of people who know and trust you might prove helpful if you decide to make a career change.

Lastly, you will undoubtedly come across people you have studied with. Whether working as solicitors with or across from you or indeed as clients instructing you, always be kind. 

Now you’re in your traineeship and have some insight into a career in the legal sector, are there any particular milestones you’d like to achieve? 

As I mentioned above, I am interested in commercial transactions, specifically the financial side, so initially I am trying to shape my traineeship around gaining as much useful experience towards the end goal of qualifying into the banking and finance sector.  

Once qualified, I am keen to move to London at some point and have toyed with the idea of potentially working abroad too. Ultimately, however, Edinburgh is my home, and I will always return here in good time!

What keeps you busy outside of your traineeship?

When I am not trolling the bushes of Murrayfield searching for my golf balls or out cycling, I do enjoy spending as much of my free time in and around Edinburgh with friends and family – I often feel like a tourist in my own city! My most recent highlight here was seeing Sir Rod Stewart perform at the castle, which may be a highlight for a long time… 

To join the Foundations mentorship scheme, send in an application by 28 August.