Scots legal chief guided by lessons learned during pandemic

TLT was one of the first tenant of Cadworks, a speculative office development by FORE Partnership in Glasgow city centre.

Cadworks has won plaudits for its environmental credentials and commitment to the well-being of its tenants and wider community.

What is your business called?

I am a partner and the head of location for Scotland for TLT.

Where is it based?

TLT has offices in seven locations including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Belfast, London, Bristol and Birmingham. In Glasgow, TLT is based at Cadworks, one of Scotland's most sustainable office developments. Cadworks' mission is to connect communities by working with grassroots organisations and it was the country’s first net-zero carbon in operation office building.

What does it produce/do?

TLT is a national law firm that creates innovative and progressive legal solutions for clients.

To whom does it sell?

TLT supports corporates, high-growth businesses, financial institutions and public sector organisations on their strategic day-to-day legal needs.

What is its turnover?

In 2022/2023 turnover reached £157 million.

How many employees?

1,500 nationally Why did you take the plunge?

TLT first opened its office in Glasgow in 2012 following a merger with Scottish law firm Anderson Fyfe. I was interested in becoming a lawyer as I wanted to help people deal with their problems and I've been doing that ever since.

What were you doing before?

Before joining TLT, I was a partner at Anderson Fyfe, where I joined as a trainee in 1998.

What do you least enjoy?

Point scoring. I see my job as resolving disputes and can’t abide pointless grandstanding. Thankfully it’s becoming rarer.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

Building on recent successes for TLT – including being named Scottish Law Firm of the Year at the Herald Law Awards of Scotland 2022. The firm has dedicated plans to continue investing in Scotland to ensure we’re supporting TLT’s strategy of growth.

TLT has enjoyed a fantastic couple of decades and is now a major player in the legal industry, working with some of the biggest companies and brands in the UK. We’ve made a number of senior hires in the last year, which will continue to support our growth and ensure we’re providing the best service possible to our client.

In Scotland we’ve grown at a stellar rate and investing in people and a fantastic work environment have been key to that. We aim to continue to grow and remain very ambitious, ensuring we’re paving the way for a sustainable future. Our move to Cadworks in 2021, has been integral to those ambitions and has helped to shape TLT’s working environment across the country.

Cadworks features recycled construction materials with cement-replacement technology in its concrete and is the first building in Scotland to use air purifying Airlite paint, a 100% natural technology that is anti-viral, anti-pollution, anti-bacterial and self-cleaning.

Cadworks is meaningful to what our people want now, connecting the well-being of staff and families, the community and the planet together. Through initiatives in its ‘urban village hall’ we can join with local community groups and social enterprises.

As an example, Cadworks has helped the charity Refuweegee with its prams appeal, ensuring that donated prams are cleaned and distributed to vulnerable families; led a bike initiative enabling social enterprise SoulRiders to refurbish used bikes; donated a cargo bike to Social Bite, to extend the reach of its delivery service in line with the city’s 2030 zero carbon target.

With sustainable features such as air source heat pumps to provide heating, Scotland’s first cycle-in access ramp with extensive cycling facilities, EV charging points and regenerative braking in lifts to convert kinetic energy to electrical energy, Cadworks aligns perfectly with our firm’s plans to reduce carbon emissions and connect with local communities.

What single thing would most help?

We put our people first at TLT, working together with our clients to understand their specific needs and ensuring we’re providing solutions tailored to the sectors and services they work in. In terms of our own people – TLT’s flexible approach to working and initiatives that acknowledge no two employees are the same – are at the heart of our success.

Feedback from colleagues has shown our people feel supported to learn, develop and do the best job possible, this immediately becomes visible in the results we produce for clients. More of the same will continue to support TLT’s growth strategy and I look forward to seeing what will come next.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned?

I think the pandemic was a period that put a lot of things in perspective for people. Priorities shifted both in peoples’ personal lives but also in business. It was a time that taught me the importance of a team and ensuring everyone felt supported at a time when we weren’t used to communicating virtually on a daily basis.

As part of my role as head of location in Scotland, I had to ensure I was positive and kept the lines of communication open with our colleagues, as well as our clients. It was a time that taught me many valuable lessons in leadership, which I have carried into my role even after the pandemic.

Where do you find yourself most at ease?

At home with family and friends.

If you weren’t in your current role, what job would you most fancy?

I’ve retained an interest in politics and it’s a career path I would have considered if the culture were less toxic.

What phrase or quotation has inspired you the most?

Not sure if inspired is the right word but Warren Buffet’s quote that “it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it” is always at the back of my mind.

What is the best book you have ever read? Why is it the best?

Crime and Punishment- a fascinating story which delves into the psychology of the characters and really makes you think about things from a different perspective.

What has been your most challenging moment in life or business?

They always say the hardest thing about partnership is your partners and what I would say is choose them very carefully.

What do you now know that you wish you had known when starting out in your career?

Things almost always turn out better than you had feared.