Glasgow Council solicitor wins In-house Rising Star Award

Glasgow City Council solicitor Sarah Haig has been chosen as the Law Society of Scotland’s In-house Rising Star 2018.

The award, open to in-house trainees and solicitors less than five years qualified, was announced at the conclusion of this week's In-house Lawyers' Conference. Judges chose Ms Haig for having acquired a very high level of knowledge in the field of information law and for playing an integral role in implementing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) not just within the council, but as part of a wider rollout across 30 local authorities in Scotland.

She has also developed online training courses in freedom of information and environmental information regulation for use by all 32,000 employees working for the council and arm's length external organisations.

Runners-up were Victoria Davidson, legal counsel with RBS Group plc, and Oksana Orlova-Farrelly, head of legal at JFD Ltd, a company which provides subsea engineering products, projects and services.

Presenting the award, Graham Matthews, Past President of the Law Society of Scotland, said: “Sarah has demonstrated exceptional skills and commitment to her role and delivered outstanding results in demanding projects. She has earned her colleagues’ admiration and praise for her achievements and the open helpful and friendly manner in which she works with clients and colleagues alike. She is clearly a valuable asset to her team, organisation, the profession and an excellent demonstration of in-house talent. I am sure that Sarah’s career will go from strength to strength and I would like to wish her every success for the future.”

Ms Haig responded: “I am delighted to have received the Rising Star Award, particularly given the exceptional standard of the other shortlisted candidates. It has been great to have my role at Glasgow City Council recognised by the judges and I am very grateful to my colleagues for the fantastic opportunities and support which led to me being awarded this prestigious accolade.”