Scottish outreach team Silver ‘Best Team’ award
The team behind projects which help young people across Scotland engage positively with the law and achieve their legal career aspirations has won the silver ‘Best Association Team’ award in the 2018 Association Excellence Awards.
The Law Society of Scotland’s Careers and Outreach team develop and deliver initiatives including Street Law, a programme which takes Scottish Law students in to schools across the country making the law relevant to pupils in a series of interactive sessions.
The team also runs both the Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament which, as it approaches its 20th anniversary, is now the largest annual schools debating tournament in Scotland; and the Lawscot Foundation, a charity which enables talented students who have faced significant financial barriers to study law.
The Foundation was also recognised in this year’s Association Excellence Awards, in the Law Society’s nomination for the ‘Most Innovative Development’ by an association.
Heather McKendrick, Head of Careers and Outreach at the Law Society, said: “We were absolutely delighted to have been nominated in two categories this year.
“We all consider ourselves extremely fortunate to work on such interesting projects and with so many inspirational people. So to be taking home the silver award for Best Association Team is a real honour, particularly when we were up against such stiff competition.
“Congratulations to all the nominees and in particular to The Institution of Engineering and Technology and National Housing Federation, worthy winners in the Best Association Team and Initiative categories.”
The awards ceremony was hosted by magician and presenter Ben Hanlin in London on Friday 12 October to recognise and reward the achievements of UK trade bodies, professional membership organisations and associations.
Street Law provides highly-participatory, law-focused education to school pupils over a period of 6 - 8 weeks while also contributing to the professional development of Scots Law students. The law students themselves design and deliver classes about the law and the legal process which also cover the knowledge and skills that school pupils can use to recognise, prevent and in some cases, resolve legal problems. The course is grounded in the experience of the young people - it is a course in practical law.
The Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament sees 128 teams from across Scotland enter the first round, with just one team crowned the winner at the grand final.
Established in 1999, the Donald Dewar Memorial Debating tournament, dedicated to the memory of the former First Minister Donald Dewar MSP, is Scotland’s largest annual schools debating tournament.
The Association Excellence Awards were founded in 2014 to recognise and reward individuals, teams and initiatives and highlight excellence in how trade bodies operate and serve their members.
The 2018 judges are made up of over 20 CEOs and senior-level managers.
The Law Society of Scotland’s Lawscot News received a Mark of Excellence in the 2018 awards and their Street Law Project was nominated in the Best Training Initiative category.
Other finalists in the Most Innovative Development by an Association category were,
- Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe – COBCOE Connects B2B digital platform for member network
- Institution of Lighting Professionals – Subscription Renewal Poems
- International Compliance Association – ICA Advanced Certificate in Practical Customer Due Diligence
- National Housing Federation – Creating our Future innovation programme
- Research Quality Association – RQA Board Restructuring
- The European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance – Working to improve consumer safety and the reputation of the industry
Other finalists in the Best Association team were,
- Chartered Association of Business Schools
- Chartered Institute of Public Relations – Finance Team
- Coeliac UK – Membership and Marketing Team
- Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
- Self Storage Association UK
- The Federation of Microbiological Societies – The FEMS Team
- The Institution of Engineering and Technology – FIRST® LEGO® League International Open Championship Team
Association Excellence Awards 2018
Qualifying and education
Our dedicated team is here to advise on all routes of entry to the profession, including study options and requalifying from another jurisdiction. We also offer career support to those aiming to launch or grow their career.
Lawscot Foundation
Our charity helps support aspiring solicitors to reach their dreams, by funding them through the LLB and Diploma. Support from the profession is essential to our work.
Association Excellence Awards 2018
Founded in 2014, these awards recognise and reward the achievements of UK trade bodies, professionals membership organisations and associations.