Fraser Gillies, managing partner of long-established Scottish law firm Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP, reflects on successes including the building of a renewables team and on becoming part of the Irwin Mitchell Group. He flags a "real war for talent" in the sector, and declares: "I think the way to build an advantage in the talent war is to focus on the culture of the business and the reputation we have for offering a supportive and friendly working environment."

 

Name: Fraser Gillies.

What is your business called? Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP (WJM).

Where is it based? We have offices across Scotland – Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dunfermline, Dunblane and Inverness, and now, as part of the Irwin Mitchell group, across England and Wales.

What does it produce/do? We are a full-service law firm that provides legal advice and services across a range of sectors and practice areas. We provide a range of services, from corporate and commercial law to property, private client and dispute resolution, in sectors such as renewables, telecoms, drinks, and family businesses.

To whom does it sell? Our target market is wealthy individuals and families, as well as mid-market corporate businesses, owner-managed and family businesses, as well as clients in specific sectors such as renewables and the drinks sector.

What is its turnover? Per last published accounts - £13.2m.

How many employees?  Around 155 people.

Tell us a bit about the history of the business? The firm was founded in 1854 and, since then, we have traded as Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie. The firm incorporated as an LLP in 2004 and in 2024 became part of the Irwin Mitchell Group.

What attracted you to your current role? I’ve been a partner in the firm since 2010, and became managing partner in 2017. My role has definitely evolved and broadened out since I took it on.  We’ve doubled in size and, of course, we’re now part of the Irwin Mitchell Group, which has brought additional dimensions to my role. I was initially attracted to the role because I recognised the potential we had in our business to grow and develop on the back of our excellent reputation in the market, and I felt I could make a contribution to the growth of the firm. I had a pretty clear vision of the type of firm I thought we could be. Since then, the role has changed and that has kept me interested and challenged, which is why I’ve continued doing it.

What were you doing before? My whole career has been at WJM, but I’ve had a number of different roles during that time.

What do you least enjoy? There’s a lot of necessary process and procedures involved in running a law firm, which are all there for good reasons, but navigating is probably the least inspiring part of the job.

What do you consider to be the main successes of the business? Most recently, we’ve built up some very successful businesses in certain sectors, such as our renewables team, which continues to have a really strong reputation, and we’re fortunate to have retained some fantastic clients in the sector.

We’ve also built up a successful practice in Inverness from scratch and we now have a really important foothold in the Highlands, where we are a really respected business that’s growing.

 

We’ve also always had a very strong private client offering, and the growth of the team has begun to accelerate in the past few years.

What are your ambitions for the firm? To grow the business and grow our market share in Scotland significantly, using the Irwin Mitchell platform, and doing that while still maintaining our culture and all the positive aspects of WJM.

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To do that, we’ll need to be able to attract talent across the legal profession in Scotland. I’d like to make WJM a destination that people want to come to work and build their careers. I’ve had a rewarding career here and there’s greater opportunity now than ever for others to join us and develop. Ultimately, we want to see WJM becoming one of the top mid-tier firms in Scotland within the next few years.

What are the challenges facing the sector and market, and what could be done to overcome or address these? There is a lot of competition for talent out there, and a finite pool of quality lawyers and support teams. Because of that competition, there’s a real war for talent and there’s pressures on salaries, that, depending on where you are in the market, can be a significant challenge.

The cost of being in business as a law firm continues to increase, and again that can be a disproportionate burden for smaller firms.  

There’s also an increasing demand for innovation from clients, who expect their lawyers to be as efficient as possible whilst still delivering high-quality advice.

I think the way to build an advantage in the talent war is to focus on the culture of the business and the reputation we have for offering a supportive and friendly working environment. Irwin Mitchell has made real progress in achieving formal recognition of that through its inclusion as a Great Place to Work, which is independent verification of the positive aspects of its culture, and that’s something we’re working on achieving in the Scottish business. We also recognise we need to be paying competitive salaries and maintaining a healthy working environment.

So far as client expectations are concerned, we’re continually working to demonstrate the added value we bring to clients, which often stems from our sector knowledge or our networks of other advisers and contacts that we can bring to bear to help clients. We’re also well placed as part of the IM Group to invest in systems and processes, including AI, to increase efficiencies and help our fee earners focus on providing a first-class client experience.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned? I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons about looking after clients over the years. Client relationships, like all relationships, need investment and nurturing, and sometimes quite a lot of hard work, but the rewards are often long-term return. I’ve also learned that most people like doing business with people they enjoy spending time with, and, generally, being authentic is the best way to build trust.  

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What was your best moment? Becoming a partner in the firm was certainly a high point. It was rewarding to be given the backing of my fellow partners to go and build my practice in renewables and to know they had confidence in me to do so. Our combination with Irwin Mitchell was a more recent high point, as it’s a real step forward for us and gives great opportunities for us in Scotland. The level of enthusiasm and excitement for the future across both businesses is significant. A more regular high point is seeing others being promoted and developing their careers with us.

What has been your most challenging moment in life or business?  I think the early weeks of Covid were a real challenge for all of us, but I definitely felt a real weight of responsibility, along with others in our leadership team, to try to navigate what was an incredibly uncertain time to ensure the firm emerged on the other side intact. Fortunately, that initial period of uncertainty was fairly short-lived, and it soon became apparent that we’d be able to adapt to the new circumstances and continue to operate, but there were definitely a difficult few days and weeks to begin with, and the year or so that followed was not without its challenges for all of our staff.

How do you relax? I’m not sure it counts as relaxing but most of my spare time is spent with my three young kids - aged six, eight and 11. More occasionally I try and get out on my bike when time permits, though definitely not as often as I’d like to.

What phrase or quotation has inspired you the most? “Life’s too short”

What is the best book you have ever read? Why is it the best? In a business context, Jim Collins’ Good to Great has to be up there as one of the greatest. I was also very influenced by Simon Sinek’s Find Your Why, which led to us embarking on an exercise to agree on WJM’s common purpose – a very rewarding experience.

Where do you find yourself most at ease?  In the sunshine, with a book and a cup of coffee.

If you weren’t in your current role, what job would you most fancy? I’m a bit of a “techie” and really wish I’d stuck at “computers” when I was at school, but at that stage no one was selling “Silicon Valley tech entrepreneur” as a career option. If they had, I’d probably have pursued it.

What countries have you most enjoyed travelling to, for business or leisure, and why? These days family holidays are less about relaxing by the pool and more about trying to entertain children, but if I was to pick somewhere for some serious R&R it would be South-East Asia – for the weather, the beaches, the food, the friendly people and the fantastic standard of hotels and accommodation.