THOMPSONS Solicitors has taken a hat-trick of prizes at the Law Awards of Scotland.
Brenda Mitchell from the firm took the solicitor of the year title while Thompsons, which has offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, also collected the employment firm award and shared law firm of the year with more than 40 fee earners with Harper Macleod.
The duo at the top of Harper Macleod, chairman Lorne Crerar and chief executive Martin Darroch, were named managing partner/team of the year for the third successive year.
Also taking two prizes at the awards was Watermans which won firm of the year with fewer than 40 fee earners as well as the up and coming firm category. Lord Hope, the former Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General, was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award marking his long service in the legal profession.
After being admitted as an advocate in 1965 he became a Queen's Counsel in 1978 and moved to the bench in 1989 and has since served in a range of positions from Lord Justice General to deputy president of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Bruce McKain, director of public affairs at the Faculty of Advocates, received the legal personality prize.
Advocate Claire Mitchell, former Standard Life legal manager Colin Anderson and Steven Raeburn, founder of legal publication The Firm, received special recognition awards to mark the tenth year of the event.
Emma Horne, previously a nurse at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, took the up and coming lawyer title for her work in the private client team at Morisons while Waqqas Ashraf, from McCusker McElroy & Gallanagh, was named trainee of the year.
Vanessa Ingram of V I Pensions Law was sole practitioner of the year while Jaclyn Wilson of The Wheatley Group/Glasgow Housing Association was the best paralegal.
John Scott at Capital Defence Lawyers was criminal lawyer of the year.
Other winners during the ceremony at Glasgow's Radisson Blu Hotel last night included Inksters Solicitors, Allan McDougall Solicitors, Irwin Mitchell Scotland, Patience & Buchan, Thorley Stephenson, Gildeas Solicitors, Caritas Legal and McQueen Legal.
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