'A privilege not a fall-back' — Dozens of new solicitors admitted to Scottish legal profession

Dual admission ceremonies welcoming 130 new solicitors to the Scottish legal profession mark should fill the community with 'optimism', the President of the Law Society of Scotland has said.

The events represented a first for both President Patricia Thom, who was overseeing her first admissions in the role, and new chief executive Ben Kemp who was in attendance.

Speaking after the ceremonies had concluded, Patricia Thom said: “Congratulations to our new solicitors on what is such an important day. It’s an honour to preside over these ceremonies, and speaking with new solicitors alongside their proud parents and other supporters even more so.

“The talent on display fills me with optimism for the future, as Scotland’s legal sector continues to grow strongly. That growth reflects the enormous contribution that solicitors make both to our economy and to people and communities more widely.”

Ben Kemp said: “Like Patricia, I am proud to be a Scottish solicitor, and it is a special privilege to celebrate and welcome our newest Law Society members to the profession.

“As a longstanding Law Society member myself, I want our new solicitors to know that their professional body will be there for them at every stage of their careers, whether that be in supporting their adoption of technology, their professional development or their wellbeing.”

Guest speaker for the ceremonies was dual-qualified solicitor Shareen Gault, who is General Counsel and Head of Legal and Risk with global learning and development company Insights Group.

She told those in attendance that she initially considered becoming a solicitor as a fall-back option: “But something happened during my traineeship and that is that I realised, to advise people was something of a privilege, to represent people too was a privilege.”