News
Leading independent law firm Harper Macleod is marking its 35th anniversary with a major round of promotions, including four new partners, four newly-qualified solicitors, and new Gold Investors in People and Investors in Young People accreditations.
Promoted to partner are: Andrew Ronald (Banking & Finance), Ewan Stafford (Employment & Immigration), Amy Dickson (Personal Injury & Reparation) and Brian Carton (partner equivalent in the IT team).
The firm’s new senior associates are: Fiona Strang (Corporate, Commercial & Regulatory), Jennifer Grosvenor (Dispute Resolution), Nicola Ker, Annabelle Gow and Lauren Farquhar (all Private Client – Asset Protection & Tax), and Nicola Stephen (Residential Property).
There were eight colleagues promoted to associate and 14 colleagues promoted to senior solicitor positions.
Making up this year’s promotions round, four newly-qualified trainees were appointed to solicitor positions. Partner and solicitor promotions took effect on 1 April with all other promotions taking effect on 1 May. There are now 76 partners at the firm, and a headcount of more than 400 people.
In addition, Harper Macleod has recently received Gold standards for both Investors in People and Investors in Young People accreditations, further evidence of the firm’s commitment to personal and professional development. It previously held Silver IIP and Gold IIYP accreditations.
The firm was recognised by IIYP assessors as having young people at the heart of the business, with a commitment to “grow their own”. Many partners or senior leaders started their careers at Harper Macleod.
Martin Darroch, chief executive of Harper Macleod, said: “This is one of the most rewarding points in the year, when we recognise those colleagues who have reached the next important milestones in their careers at Harper Macleod.
“It’s been crucial for us to create a learning culture, clear career pathways and development opportunities for everyone. These promotions, combined with our new IIP and IIYP statuses, show that we are an employer of choice in a competitive marketplace.
“The varied nature of our business means we develop a diverse workforce with many different legal and business services specialisms. Similarly, we are actively involved in initiatives designed to provide access to the legal profession for people from backgrounds who have not had the same opportunities as others.”
As well as being an award-winning Modern Apprentice employer, Harper Macleod is an active member of the Developing the Young Workforce programme in various regions across Scotland including the Central Belt and the Highlands & Islands. Martin continued: “As a relatively young business, we are proud of our investment in creating opportunities and developing young people, particularly in Scotland’s more rural communities. This is a responsibility we take seriously given the challenges young people face.”
The firm has just closed the application process for its next round of traineeships starting in October, with one of its largest number of applications to date.
Harper Macleod was established in 1988. It is now one of Scotland’s largest professional partnerships with offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Elgin, Lerwick and Thurso.