RBS solicitor becomes Women in Finance "Legal Adviser of the Year"

Scottish solicitor Leigh Kirkpatrick has been named “Legal Adviser of the Year” at the inaugural Women in Finance Awards.

Ms Kirkpatrick, a senior legal counsel at the Royal Bank of Scotland, was named for the title at a ceremony in the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. In her role she principally supports the drafting and negotiation of the bank's outsourcing arrangements and provides transaction and strategic advice in relation to bank-wide restructuring programmes. She provides extensive support to the bank’s technology, payments and fintech initiatives and to the bank's engagement with SMEs and the startup community. She is also heavily involved in supporting the bank’s social inclusion and diversity projects.

In 2015 she won the Law Society of Scotland’s In-house Rising Star award.

Kenny Robertson, head of services at RBS Legal, commented: "I am delighted Leigh won the Legal Adviser of the Year Award, building on her 2015 succes. Since joining RBS Legal in 2014, she has been a wonderful role model, combining excellent legal skills with a natural, likeable manner and a strong commitment to doing her best for the bank. That she was nominated for the award by her stakeholders is a fantastic testament to how highly she is thought of across the bank."

Ms Kirkpatrick responded: "It was lovely to have been nominated for Legal Adviser of the Year, and I was delighted to have won given the calibre of the lawyers who were shortlisted. It was great to have my role at RBS recognised and it’s a definite testament to the support and encouragement that I have received both from the legal function and from stakeholders at the bank."