Life before D&W:

I completed my legal degree and Diploma at Glasgow University. However, before joining D&W, I worked in London for an American bank as a Risk Analyst and prior to that I worked at Arthur Andersen training to become an accountant. After a fantastic 5 years, I finally tired of the infamous London commute and decided that I would like to move back to Scotland and re-embark upon a legal career.

First Impressions of D&W:

My first impression of D&W was undoubtedly how open and approachable everybody at the firm is. Right from day one, it was made clear that everyone is willing to take the time to share their knowledge and experiences. In my time here, I have not come across anyone that I have been unable to ask for help from.

I was also struck by how focused everybody in the firm is on client service. The previous organisation that I worked for had an excellent reputation for good customer service. However, at D&W I quickly recognised that every individual at the firm, regardless of role or level, is considered to be responsible for excellent client service. It is a priority that is emphasised to you when you first join and each day you are expected to do all that you can to exceed client expectations.

Favourite thing(s) about working at D&W:

Training and self-development is an important part of D&W’s culture. The in-house training that I have received has been first class and each department provides regular seminars / training sessions for every level. The training can cover a variety of fields from technical legal topics to general commercial subjects and are sometimes very client specific. The emphasis being to provide everyone with the knowledge and tools required to be able to best service the firm’s clients.

Through my previous jobs I had received a broad commercial training. My main concern on re-embarking upon a legal career was that this may be considered somewhat of an irrelevancy and become largely redundant. However, at D&W I have been extremely impressed by how commercially astute everyone is. They are not just very good technical lawyers, they really understand their clients’ businesses and the environments that they operate in. When you join, it is emphasised to you that this commercial understanding is considered to be essential in providing the best service to clients.

Aspirations – in and out of the office:

Ideally, I would like to win the lottery and own multiple holiday homes in various locations around the world…….but in the real world……I hope to be able to continue to work in a challenging environment, progress in my career and still maintain a healthy work/life balance.

Pearls of wisdom for anyone joining/already a member of the legal profession:

If you join a commercial law firm, it is not just about knowing the law. Every bit as important, is the ability to understand businesses and the environments that they operate in. The lawyers that I have been most impressed by, and those that you can learn the most from, are those that truly understand the commercial implications of a situation. I think it is important to remember, that in order to succeed at a firm such as D&W you don’t just need an excellent knowledge of the law.