Serco legal director wins In-house Rising Star Award

Glasgow-based solicitor John Frame has been named as winner of the Law Society of Scotland’s In-house Rising Star Award for 2019.

The award was announced at the conclusion of yesterday's In-house Annual Conference in Edinburgh, attended by all five shortlisted entrants.

Caroline Douglas from Lloyds Banking Group was awarded runner-up; and the other three finalists, Emma McBride and Jennifer Livingston of East Dunbartonshire Council and Sean Dorian of Cloudhelix Ltd, were all highly commended.

Mr Frame, legal director for transport in UK & Europe at Serco, has played a major role in the business. After foreseen and unforeseen changes in the team, he was trusted and asked to step up and into his presdent role. His employers said he had shown a maturity and skill well beyond his qualification level, and used his experience in politics and the government legal service to provide insights to stakeholder policy decision-making processes and to inform strategy. "We have all come to value John as a trusted colleague, armed with the latest thinking able to communicate in a clear, digestible way, helping maintain our dynamism and agility."

Runner-up Ms Douglas was praised for her hard work, commitment and an impressive business understanding at an early stage in her career, alongside her energy and eagerness to learn and develop.

A posthumous special recognition award was also made to Martyn Ross, a trainee with Marathon Oil, who passed away in November 2018. His award was collected by his colleagues Jessel Gair and Kristian Rose.

Presenting the awards, Alison Atack, Past President of the Law Society of Scotland, said: "I’m delighted to congratulate John as our In-house Rising Star for 2019 and our runner up, Caroline. They are both great assets to their organisations.

"The In-house Rising Star Award is a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase the up-and-coming talent within the in-house legal sector and, importantly, is a chance for employers to acknowledge the incredible individuals in their teams.

"It is always tremendously difficult to choose a winner, and I’m sure it has been particularly challenging for the judges given this year’s group of exceptional candidates. All five of our finalists have excelled within their organisations."

She also made special mention of East Dunbartonshire Council, which submitted four of the 13 entries received.

Mr Frame responded: "I was absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted and am over the moon now. I've been very lucky to work with lots of amazing people and great mentors in my career so far. It was great to meet everyone at the conference and congratulations again to all those nominated. We already have plans to stay in touch and share our in-house experiences and challenges!"