My decision to study law
Most of us will remember being asked at some point in our childhood what we wanted to do with our lives.
Personally, it didn't take me long to discover that my initial dream of becoming a professional footballer was at best, highly unlikely.
Having grown up in Alness – a town known for housing the workers who built hydro-schemes in the 1950s and later expanding to support oil and gas exploration - tradition dictated that many were destined for a career in the energy sector.
While I considered this career path, ultimately, my strengths catered for theoretical studies rather than practical studies. However, seven years later after choosing to pursue a career in law, little did I know I would end up working, albeit indirectly, in the same field.
How university shaped me as a lawyer
Truthfully, when attending university for the first time, I had no idea which area of law I would like best, or even if I would like it at all.
Unlike many in my cohort who had close relatives in the legal industry, before work experience, I had never spoken to a lawyer.
Being the first in my family to go to university, feelings of 'imposter syndrome' lingered through both challenges and achievements.
Thankfully, six months into my degree I found a close network of friends within a university football team, which helped me settle into university life.
During this time, I also began to study my first 'commercial' subjects. Here, the use of legal problem-solving with a view to making a business more efficient captured my imagination, and set the foundation for what I would later specialise in.
This reminds me of a few important lessons.
First, at university you will meet people from a broad range of backgrounds. Each will have different strengths and weaknesses.
However, ultimately performance has no correlation purely to socio-economic background, and 'self-doubt' is indiscriminate. For anyone who experiences this feeling, it is important to remember that this is normal, and to reflect on the achievements and skills that helped you get to the position you are in!
Second, the law is diverse, covering a range of social, economic and proprietary issues. It's normal to prefer some subjects to others. My friends, flourishing in different areas, from litigation to banking, helped me understand this best.
Following university, finding my 'niche' directed me towards an easy decision when pursuing a traineeship. Ultimately, I opted to undertake a two-year traineeship purely in commercial/corporate law.
But why pick the Highlands to practise, once I qualified?
Seizing opportunities at home in the Highlands
To those who haven't lived in the north of Scotland, Edinburgh or Glasgow might seem like the obvious choice for a commercial lawyer, given the area's proximity to diverse, high-value work.
In years gone by, pursuing a legal career at a large commercial firm would have meant moving away from the Highlands. Today, that simply isn't the case – my role at Brodies being a good example.
While working in Edinburgh and Glasgow during my early career, I was stunned by how much of my workload, supporting some of Scotland's largest mergers, acquisitions and restructuring exercises, was for businesses based in the Highlands and Islands.
Admittedly, this should have been no surprise given that the region houses some of the largest production and transport centres in the country, exporting whisky, aquaculture and livestock across the world.
However, in truth, it was the vast potential that the area holds for the future that sealed my decision.
The North's hidden capital
The Highlands stands at the forefront of the UK's energy transition. Today, key offshore and onshore wind projects, and the decommissioning or assembly of infrastructure, have supplemented existing oil and gas and hydro projects to become a key feature of the local economy.
New opportunities will also be available for businesses through the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport (ICFGF), a defined economic zone aimed at enhancing investment in green energy solutions.
Under the ICFGF, businesses will benefit from a range of customs and tax reliefs that will drive investment, personnel and positive change to the Highlands. This has already begun, evidenced by two £300+ million investments at the Port of Nigg, and the Ardersier Port Energy Transition Facility.
This will provide opportunities for lawyers to get involved in unique and exciting work within an already diverse and rapidly expanding market.
In my view, there has never been a more exciting time to be a lawyer in the Highlands.
Contributor
Solicitor
