Robert Macduff-Duncan

Back in March, I attended the Law Society’s Business of Law Roadshow here in Perth. Previously known as the High Street Roadshow, the purpose of the day is to provide CPD on topics such as the accounts rules, MLR and IT, and to provide a forum for open discussion about topics of concern to solicitors practising in, and running, smaller “High Street” law firms. This year, I happen to be wearing a few hats. I am the president of our local faculty this year and next. I am a trustee of the WS Society, and seem to have adopted the role of being the representative of those WS who do not work in big firms in the central belt, or in-house.

In all of these fora, I hear the same concern, the same thought. What is there, in 2026, to attract a trainee or, almost more importantly, a newly qualified solicitor, to choose to work in a firm of nine partners or less in Scotland outwith the conurbations of Edinburgh and Glasgow? Recruitment and retention is difficult. Those doing the job know the positives and the negatives well, and, by and large, the positives significantly outweigh the negatives. But is the life of a solicitor in such firms “sold” to LLB and diploma students looking for traineeships, or NQs looking for that first job? I do not think that it is, and I think we need to start blowing our own trumpet.

The wins are there for all – firms want fresh talent to allow for succession planning and continuity of service to their clients, and to be able to grow their firms; early career solicitors want interesting, challenging work, significant interaction with clients and responsibility for their own files, with support and guidance from experienced practitioners; clients in such communities want locally accessible legal services, and the choice as to how they interact with that business, in person or remotely. They also value continuity of service, and knowing that their solicitor knows them well.

Like our banks used to be, solicitors’ firms are the lifeblood of so many of our communities, from sponsoring the youth football team, to supporting local charities, to engaging with schemes like Will Aid or Free Wills Month. And that is the crux of it. Being a solicitor in a small firm in a smaller community is a privilege. You are able to serve your community, and play a significant part in it. You will have clients who stay with you throughout your career. You will build strong, enduring personal relationships with your clients. You will celebrate the births and marriages in their families. You will grieve with them. Your career, and your life, will be more rewarding and fulfilling as a result.

Outside your work-role, your experience and expertise will also be valued. There are few lawyers of the sort I am considering who will not have served on numerous voluntary committees and charity boards! Such a life really is one of service before self, as Rotarians would say!

Environmental factors also play a part. I saw a debate online recently about the difference between employment in law firms in London and in “Scotland”, meaning Edinburgh, where the lower cost of living and proximity to open spaces won out over high salaries, high rents and high stress. The same comparison can be made between the central belt and the rest of Scotland. 

Working in the rest of Scotland means that you are working in the finest natural environment in the UK (I’m biased), with generally warm, inviting, colourful human beings, living lives and running businesses. The phrase “work-life balance” is often used to sell living and working away from major cities. It is true that it is possible to get a better balance in smaller firms, and to have more control over how you spend your day, but my view is that that is about workplace culture as much as it is about geography. I have worked long hours in beautiful small cities, and I know plenty in Edinburgh who get in just before 9 and leave at 5 to walk the Meadows or escape to the Pentlands. But yes, work-life balance, and the sort of life led in the non-work time, is a strong motivation to lead a life in small firm law.

At an early point in one’s career, the fear is that working in a wee firm will limit your learning, and your career progression. Quite to the contrary, rapid promotion through the ranks is possible for those that want management responsibility within firms. And as for the day job, the cases coming across the desks of lawyers in small town Scotland are just as meaty as those in the big firms. And you are the one with the client contact. I have supported and guided numerous human beings through Court of Session actions, for example. Edinburgh agents and counsel do much of the pleading and the drafting, but you are there with the client, explaining the process and the procedure, and keeping those Edinburgh agents and counsel in line. I have also conveyed large properties with complex titles, and have acted in interesting, high-value transactions. Good work is often found in small firms, and a great deal of it is being dealt with by junior lawyers.

There are two fundamentals in life: people and place. If you want to play a significant part in the lives of those around you and contribute to the life of the place in which you reside, you cannot beat being a solicitor in a smaller, High Street, firm.