Moving on up

As Christine McLintock, President of the Law Society of Scotland, said in her interview in this month’s Journal magazine, “It’s going to be a really exciting year.”

Our new home is a far cry from the maze of corridors and staircases of Drumsheugh Gardens and I’m really enjoying being able to see more of my colleagues. But what difference is it actually making?

For a start, it’s a lot more welcoming for members, stakeholders and other visitors. Our bright and open reception area leads to a dedicated members' drop-in room, right at the front of the building. So if you find yourself in Edinburgh, feel free to come and visit, grab a cup of coffee and take a seat in the working area or reading booth. There are also Smartcard events running here until March, so another great reason to pop in and say hi.

We’ve got a new five-year strategy and the first year of activity has been laid out in the 2015-16 annual plan, so there’s a lot going on in addition to an increasingly diverse membership! All this means we have to work together in a new way and it’s much easier to collaborate now we’re all open plan – from our newest recruits to the chief executive!

I know I’m more aware of what my colleagues are working on. For example, sitting next to our Public Communications team provides great insight into the reasons members of the public get in touch (if you’re interested, or need to advise a client to speak to us, visit www.lawscot.org.uk/answers).

With more space comes more room, so we were able to give our new member services and engagement team a place to sit together. The team are already working on some really exciting projects – like forming a partnership with ESPC to deliver a one-stop shop digital platform for property solicitors, which is due to go live this spring. Watch this space.

Finally, we rely on a huge number of volunteers – solicitors and others – who do a range of important work for the Society, and the new meeting spaces and technology in our new office are really helping us to engage better with those volunteers and with others who rely on us.

Speaking of volunteers, if you were admitted as a solicitor in the past five years, you might be interested in the vacancy on our Council to represent new lawyers. Visit www.lawscot.org.uk/join-our-council to apply. Good luck and hopefully I’ll see you here soon!

To find out more about the Society’s new office, read the January Journal feature, and to learn more about the Society’s new strategy, Leading Legal Excellence, visit www.lawscot.org.uk/strategy.