Council solicitor takes In-house Rising Star Award

Midlothian Council in-house solicitor Vlad Valiente has been named as the winner of the Law Society of Scotland In-house Lawyers’ Group Rising Star Award for 2014.

Mr Valiente was presented with his trophy by Alistair Morris, President of the Society, at the dinner following Friday's annual conference.

Runners up were Ruth Paterson, head of legal at ENABLE Scotland, and Heather McClure from City of Edinburgh Council.

The ILG Rising Star Award was launched last year to support and promote new lawyers working as part of in-house legal teams, a group that now makes up 28% of Scottish solicitors. 

Congratulating all three finalists, ILG chair Lynda Towers commented: “We were delighted to get so many strong entries in the first year of the award, and although it made our decision very difficult once again, it was good to see the same level of high quality nominees this year.

“The standard of the entries has shown that there’s lots of up-and-coming talent in the in-house sector and the top three have all shown great commitment to providing the best possible legal services and using their skills to contribute to the wider world.”

Nominees for the award had to be either in-house trainee solicitors, or in-house solicitors with up to five years' PQE. They had to demonstrate a track record of achievements, proactively adding value and demonstrating innovation or legal process improvements and should also have made a positive contribution beyond their own organisation.

In addition to his trophy, the winner will also receive two sessions with a professional career coach and spend time shadowing a senior in-house lawyer.