Tell us a bit about you?

I live in East Lothian with my family and my wee dog, Ted. 

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Did you study after leaving school?

After I left high school I studied Business Studies at the University of Edinburgh. I later studied the accelerated LLB at the University of Stirling and after that I returned to the University of Edinburgh to do the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice (DipPLP).

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What and where was your first significant job?

My very first job while at high school was in a local newsagent (remember them?!), but my first professional job was at a pensions and investment company in Edinburgh.

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When did you join the Scottish Government and what was the role?

After completing my traineeship and working as an NQ solicitor at one of Scotland’s leading law firms, I joined the Scottish Government Legal Directorate (SGLD) as a solicitor in 2022.

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What first attracted you to working at government or in the public sector?

When I worked as a parliamentary assistant to a local MSP, who was also a government minister, I gained experience both in serving constituents and supporting the MSP at constituency and parliamentary levels.

The experience stayed with me, and once I had qualified as a solicitor, I looked to return to the public sector — I liked the idea of applying the skills I had learned at university and in the private sector to important work aimed at improving things for society as a whole.

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What does a typical day look like for you?

No day in SGLD is ever the same, and it depends very much on what you’re working on at the time. If you’re working on a Bill or a substantial piece of secondary legislation, that will take up almost all of your time, and you’ll have to balance your advisory work alongside it. The work is diverse and intellectually stimulating.

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What do you like most about your current job?

One of the main benefits of working in SGLD (or the wider GLSS) is the rich and diverse scope of work — it is almost always interesting and can directly relate to issues that are in the news as hot topics of the day. The division and branch I work in are also filled with people who are experienced and expert in their areas, so there are many opportunities to learn and develop.

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What do you think is the best thing about working at Scottish Government?

The variety of work, flexible working, supportive colleagues, and the general sense that your work contributes to improving things for the people of Scotland.

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Have you used any employee benefits whilst working at Scottish Government?

I use the flexible working system, and the ability to work flexibly is brilliant — especially when you’ve got young kids.

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What career advice would you give your younger self?

That the most important thing is to have a sense of direction (or destination) and worry less about the exact steps you take to get there.