Experience & Results
Over 20 years' experience across professional leadership, executive practice and governance. From building a law firm's private client practice from £4m to £15m to leading Scotland's 12,000-strong legal profession through ministerial scrutiny, I bring practical understanding of what firms and their leaders need to succeed.
I've built teams, navigated crises and delivered reform. My approach isn't theory; it's earned.
I've chaired boards, built teams, navigated crises, and delivered reform. My approach isn't theoretical—it's earned through experience.
Executive Experience
Consultant, Carters (2026–2026)
Boutique Scottish law firm
- Built a working system for client meetings, risk management and integrated will and power of attorney generation, using AI-assisted development tools
Head of Private Client & Partner, Thorntons LLP (2013–2025)
One of Scotland's largest independent law firms
- Grew one of Scotland's largest private client teams from 50 to 140 staff across 3 to 14 offices
- Increased revenues from £4m to £15m while serving on the firm's Operations Board
- Reduced write-offs by 13%
- Led a 90-day integration when Pagan Osborne entered administration (September 2017): 92% staff retention and a 60% increase in departmental turnover
- Cut processing times by 23% through digital workflows, and improved compliance tracking
Professional Leadership
President, Law Society of Scotland (2022–2023)
The regulator and representative body for Scotland's solicitors
- Chaired a 40+ member hybrid Council during a period of ministerial scrutiny and regulatory reform.
- Unified the relationship between the representative Council and the independent Regulatory Committee, restoring public trust through transparent governance.
- Reformed professional indemnity arrangements affecting 12,000 solicitors, introducing mandatory risk management CPD that contributed to record-low claims.
- Represented Scotland's legal profession in UK-wide policy forums and internationally, including supporting Ukrainian lawyers post-invasion (resulting in appointment as honorary member of the Ukrainian Bar Association).
Council Member, Law Society of Scotland (2015–2024)
- Took part in the recruitment and appointment of the Society's new Chief Executive
Convenor, Insurance Committee, Law Society of Scotland (2016–2021)
- Reformed master policy arrangements
- Led a broker transition to improve transparency and control
- Introduced digitised renewal processes
Charity & Governance Roles
Trustee, Scottish Solicitors' Benevolent Fund (2022–2026)
- Oversaw hardship support programmes for solicitors facing financial difficulty
- Led a governance modernisation project: Trust Deed reform, clearer committee remits, formalised conflict-of-interest procedures and stronger financial reporting
- Ensured alignment with OSCR guidance and charity law best practice
Chair, Dundee University Students' Association (2017–2020)
- Chaired the board of a £5m charity with trading subsidiaries
- Modernised governance structures and diversified the board to strengthen scrutiny
- Improved financial reporting frameworks
- Led income diversification when traditional revenue streams declined, introducing new services and securing capital investment to restore sustainability
- Services ranked top in Scotland and 3rd in the UK in the 2018 National Student Survey
Innovation, Speaking & Writing
Chair, LawScotTech Advisory Board (2023–2025)
- Established and chaired Scotland's national hub for legal technology and ethical AI adoption
- Built cross-sector partnerships between law firms, regulators, academia and technology providers
- Developed governance frameworks for responsible innovation, managing emerging risks around automation and AI while positioning Scotland as a leader in legal technology
Chair, Law Society of Scotland Journal (2023–2025)
- Led a publisher transition and editorial governance reform
- Appointed a diverse editorial board
- Moved a 12,000+ member publication to a digital-first model, reducing costs by about 30% while broadening engagement
Speaking
- Chaired the annual LawScotTech Forum
- Spoke at the Law Society of Scotland conference
- Spoke at the Central Law Training annual private client conference
- Gave talks to multiple Scottish solicitors' firms on risk management and private client technical matters
Media
- Gave BBC news interview on risk management
Writing
- Wrote numerous legal articles, published online and in the Law Society of Scotland Journal
What does this mean for the organisations I work with?
I understand governance from multiple perspectives—as a regulator, as an executive building teams under scrutiny, as a charity trustee managing limited resources, and as someone who has navigated crises and delivered reform. I bring constructive challenge because I've experienced both good and poor governance. I'm grounded in experience from leading operations, not just observing them. And I'm a regulatory navigator who has worked across legal, charity, and professional regulation for over two decades.