Lawyer and chair of the Family Law Association
Born: June 10, 1948;
Died: January 6, 2018
MARGARET Scanlan, who has died aged 69, was widely recognised as being one of the finest family lawyers of her generation. She served her profession with distinction for 40 years never failing in her dedication to her clients and peers.
She was born in Haghill in the East End of Glasgow in 1948. Recognised as a bright girl she nevertheless failed her 11 plus and was all set to attend a secondary modern school until the Glasgow Corporation decided to give all primary sevens in the city an IQ test. Margaret came out in the top percentile of the test and so was sent to Charlotte Street School.
Her rebellious streak did not lend itself well to the rigours of convent school life and she was no stranger to the headmistress’s office for a range of infractions. But her academic potential shone through and she was accepted into the University of Glasgow to read law.
After graduation she was apprenticed to the late Harry Flowers and she began her legal career. It was around this time that she met her future husband, Michael. He was also a solicitor who would go on to become president of the Law Society of Scotland.
In 1973 their only child, Michael Jr, was born. Although Margaret had little time for the stuffy legal culture of the period, she excelled in her profession and quickly began to build a formidable reputation in the law.
A committed socialist and feminist she was an active member of CND, the Labour Party and a founder member of Strathkelvin Women’s Aid. But she also had a sense of fun and mischief. She and Michael were famous throughout the Scottish legal establishment for their ballroom dancing skills and no Glasgow Bar Association shindig was complete without Margaret singing her way badly through the Great American Songbook.
For much of her career, she was in private practice but in the 1990s joined her husband’s firm of Russells Gibson McCaffrey as a consultant.
She was a vocal advocate for excellence in family law. She was a founder member, and chair, of the Family Law Association and editor of the Family Law Bulletin. She was also a member of the Sheriff Court Rules Council and of the Legal Defence Union.
Her commitment to ensuring access for justice led to her serving two terms on the Scottish Legal Aid Board and, in 2006, she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her work in developing the delivery of legal aid in Scotland.
By 2010 she began to wind down her career and retired soon after and much of her retirement was spent as Granny Maggie to her beloved grandson Benjamin.
Her husband Michael died in 2015 and although she suffered ill-health in her final years, she never lost her spark, wit or ability to offer firm but kind advice to the many who sought it.
On her noticeboard in her office she had a faded clipping from the Herald Diary recording a piece of graffito found in the East End which said: "Roses grow in Spain/Oranges grow there too/But it took a place like Haghill/To grow a peach like you."
Margaret was convinced this was written about her and no one would have dared argue.
In a final act of generosity, Margaret donated her body to medical science at her alma mater. She will be missed by many.
She is survived by her brother Andy, her son Michael and her grandson Benjamin.
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