MORTON Fraser litigation partner Maggie Moodie has been named as the firm’s new chairman after Linda Urquhart announced her retirement after 33 years with the firm.

The firm’s chief executive Chris Harte said that Ms Moodie, who will continue to lead the firm’s public sector team during her three year chairmanship, is an “accomplished successor” to Ms Urquhart.

“Linda has been breaking glass ceilings throughout her professional career and we are immensely proud of her achievements,” he said. “In Maggie Moodie we could not have hoped for a more accomplished successor.”

Ms Urquhart, who won the lifetime achievement award at The Herald’s Law Awards of Scotland last year, has been chairman of Morton Fraser since 2011, having previously been chief executive for ten years from 1999.

Having qualified as a commercial property lawyer in the 1980s, Ms Urquhart said the legal profession has “changed significantly” since, with Morton Fraser itself seeing partner numbers double and revenues increase more than threefold. In the year to April 2016 the firm’s revenues grew by seven per cent to £19.4 million while partner numbers sat at 43.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as partner, CEO and chair of Morton Fraser and am confident in its continued success,” Ms Urquhart said.

In addition to being chairman of Morton Fraser, Ms Urqhuart, who received an OBE for services to business in Scotland in 2012, has a number of non-executive roles, which she will continue to hold. She is chairman of Investors in People Scotland, a non-executive director of Adam & Company and Edinburgh Airport, and a trustee of Marie Curie and the Royal Scottish Academy Foundation.