Scotland’s most promising new comedian will give an exclusive Edinburgh performance at the Scott + Co Scottish Legal Awards lunch and ceremony which takes place on Friday 19 March 2010.

Kevin Bridges, one of the UK’s hottest new comedians and guest star of BBC’s Mock the Week, has confirmed that he will perform to an audience of some 400 guests at the lunch and awards ceremony which takes place at the EICC.

His performance is a major coup for organisers as this event will be his only Edinburgh show despite a UK tour which starts in April in Hull and finishes in his home town of Glasgow where he will perform for 10,000 fans.

Bridges, who hosted a sell-out run at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and earned and Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination for Best Newcomer, has appeared on ‘BBC ONE’s Live at the Apollo’ and ‘Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow’.

Joy Glass, Partner at Scott+ Co, the sponsors of the Scottish Legal Awards, commented;

“Pundits predict that 2010 will be Kevin’s year so we’re delighted to secure him for the Legal Awards. He’s had an astonishing rise to prominence and is guaranteed to give the Legal Awards a lot of fun and laughter as we reveal our winners in this important competition.”

Fans of Kevin can watch an extended version of his show at Live at the Apollo to be shown on Saturday 13th February on BBC ONE at 9.45pm. He will also be appearing as a guest on Mock the Week on BBC ONE on Thursday 18th February. Agents acting for Bridges expect to confirm that he will also return to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2010 performing two dates at the Edinburgh Playhouse.

Bridges will be introduced on stage by master of ceremonies, Dougie Vipond, who returns to the event for a second year.

The Scottish Legal Awards competition is the national programme for recognising excellence in Scottish Law. Winners from 21 firms will be announced at the event and finalists include Burness, Biggart Baillie, Brodies are joined by HBJ Gateley Wareing, Morton Fraser, Harper Macleod, Digby Brown and Anderson Strathern. Complementing the field, a number of smaller firms have also been recognised with Miller Samuel, Maloco + Associates and Govan Law Centre also making an appearance.

Limited tickets for the event remain but can be booked by emailing isla@kdmedia.co.uk. Tables of ten cost £900 + VAT including wine and a three course lunch.


About Kevin Bridges

Bridges’ debut show reveals his inner-most thoughts on a variety of topics from his homeland of Scotland to the world beyond. His unique brand of social commentary, astute observations and sharp one-liners arguable make him the hottest comedian to come from Scotland in recent times.

In 2004, aged just 17, Kevin showed his natural gift for comedy when he took his first open mic spot. Now aged 22 his natural gift makes him a regular at major comedy events up and down the country. Kevin stars in the new series of Rab C Nesbitt and will also appear on Mock the Week this month.

Read the coverage in The Scotsman here
Read the article in The Edinburgh Evening News here

The finalists of the Scott + Co Scottish Legal Awards 2010 have been revealed.

21 firms and companies have progressed to the awards finals of the prestigious programme which recognises excellence in the Scottish legal profession.

Firms large and small have been announced as finalists in 12 categories, covering major aspects of private practice in Scotland.

Burness, Biggart Baillie, Brodies are joined by HBJ Gateley Wareing, Morton Fraser, Harper Macleod, Digby Brown and Anderson Strathern. Complementing the field, a number of smaller firms have also been recognised with Miller Samuel, Maloco + Associates and Govan Law Centre also making an appearance.

Joy Glass, Partner at headline sponsor Scott + Co said,

‘Once again it was a privilege to be on the judging panel. Our judges this year were a lively mix of the established and some new faces. While the number of entries overall were marginally down on last year, the number of firms who had entered were up on 2009. Despite the tough economic times, it is clear that firms still see advantages in entering the Awards. The competitive environment has become more robust in the last twelve months, so picking up an award is extremely valuable in helping to attract new clients.

The shortlisted and winning entries are of a very high standard, showing that the Scottish legal industry has lost none if its capacity for effective, innovative work.’

The winning entries will be revealed at the awards ceremony on Friday 19 March 2010 at Edinburgh’s EICC when over 400 practitioners from across Scotland join to celebrate the legal profession’s most celebrated annual event.

The finalists emerged following the judges debate, a panel discussion of all the entries chaired by Margo MacDonald MSP. 14 experts from business, law and politics including Andrew Cubie, Michael Walker, former chairman of Maclay Murray Spens, and Professor Robert Black of Edinburgh University participated in the day’s events.

THE 2010 FINALISTS

The Hotel du Vin Private Client Team of the Year
Archibald Campbell and Harley
Morton Fraser

PRG Employment Team of the Year
Burness
Miller Samuel
Morton Fraser
Paull & Williamsons

Grant Thornton Litigation Team of the Year
Digby Brown
Govan Law Centre
Harper Macleod
HBJ Gateley Wareing

The Scottish Paralegal Association Paralegal of the Year
Mary Anne Swan, Nicholas J Scullion & Co.
Sarah Chambers, Archibald Campbell & Harley

The MCL Public Sector Law Team of the Year
Anderson Strathern
Biggart Baillie
Harper Macleod

Ros.gov.uk Property Team of the Year
Maloco + Associates
Morton Fraser
Simpson & Marwick

Pilgrim Systems Specialist Lawyer of the Year
Alison MacNeil, Miller Samuel
Andrew Rigby, Brodies
Ed Watt, HBJ Gateley Wareing
Graham Walker, Road Traffic Law
Iain Nisbet, Govan Law Centre
Karyn Watt, Anderson Strathern

The Law Society of Scotland Support Team of the Year
Ampersand Advocates
Millar & Bryce
Morton Fraser

Woods of Perth Training Provider of the Year
Central Law Training
The Law Society of Scotland

The DX Firm of the Year
Digby Brown
Harper Macleod
Morton Fraser

There will be no finalists announced for Family Law Team of the Year or The Scottish Law Directory Rising Star of the Year and the winners will be announced on the day.

The Scott + Co Scottish Legal Awards lunch and ceremony takes place on Friday 19 March 2010. To book at table please click here.

LEGAL AWARDS SET TO RECOGNISE EXCELLENCE IN A NEW LANDSCAPE

Coping with a difficult market, winning in 2009 has been a boost for firms, writes The Scotsman’s Christopher Mackie

In March, minutes after Pagan Osborne had been named firm of the year at the Legal Awards 2009, an emotional chief executive, Alistair Morris, explained how much the accolade meant.

"When you read the newspapers and watch the television, you wonder if you are doing the right things, and something like this underlines that we are doing the right things," he told The Scotsman.

The prize came after a stressful 12 months for Mr Morris and his firm. Faced with dwindling residential conveyancing and financial transactions, the firm undertook a fundamental review of the way it did business, a process unflinchingly laid before the judging panel and one for which it got great credit.

As well as the top prize, Pagan Osborne picked up the Property Team of the Year award and staff member Fiona Shields was named Paralegal of the Year.

Reflecting on the achievement seven months later, Alistair Morris says winning the three awards gave his firm a boost: "The past 18 months have presented a different economic environment to operate in but the team has done a great job in adapting," he says. "The success at the awards reinforced that."

He continues: "It gave us the confidence we were going in the right direction, and eight months on I am pleased to say that belief was justified.

"The Scottish Legal Awards are an important event and highly regarded in the legal profession. I am still immensely proud of our success in such competitive categories."

The problems faced by Pagan Osborne were not uncommon in the law last year. The slightly subdued atmosphere at the awards ceremony was a clear recognition the sector had some challenges to overcome, but given the quality of the winners on show, it was clear it also had much to celebrate.

Not least was the calibre of its young lawyers. Unusually, the Rising Star of the Year prize was shared by two solicitors from the same firm, namely Alison Gilson and Stuart Clubb of HBJ Gateley Wareing.

Looking back, Mrs Gilson, a senior associate in the firm's corporate department says the hard work required to win the award had been worth it: "The recognition by the judges of the effort and progress I have made, and my impact within the legal fraternity, was great," she says. "The award is also testament to the confidence and support the firm has invested in me and which I am glad to have been able to repay."

Stuart Clubb adds: "It has been a challenging economic climate for all legal firms, but winning this accolade has certainly boosted my career and reputation, both within the firm and when dealing with both current and potential clients."

Elsewhere, Kim Patullo, a partner in the employment team at Shepherd+ Wedderburn, which also picked up an award, says the prize represented a recognition of the hard work done in the previous year, work that has continued since the ceremony. "Our success at these influential industry awards is a superb testimony to the team's strength, commitment and expertise," she adds.

Meanwhile, McGrigors, which won the Community Initiative of the Year prize, hopes that the recognition it achieved might spur other firms into thinking about their own corporate-responsibility offering.

Senior partner Kirk Murdoch says: "Everyone at McGrigors who volunteers their time and expertise gets a lot of reward from seeing the benefit of their work with the charities, schools and many other organisations that we support; but of course it also means a lot to see our efforts recognised at the Scottish Legal Awards and hopefully encourages other law firms to promote good CSR practices too."

And Martin Darroch, the chief executive of Harper MacLeod pays warm tribute to his support team after it picked up Support Team of the Year: "As well as supporting existing clients, recognition from the Legal Awards has helped supplement our service offering in attracting new clients."

Seven months on, as the awards programme for 2010 gets under way, some signs of optimism have begun to return to the law. The legal services bill has pointed the way for ambitious firms, and the Gill Review offered some hope that Scotland could indeed become a forum of choice for many litigators.

Despite ongoing reports of three-day weeks and unpaid leave among some firms, others have noted the first stirrings of a return to transactional work, offering hopes that this year's programme will be held in more positive times.

With firms now considering their applications, many will be pitching for the new categories on offer in the expanding programme.

As well as prizes for old favourites, such as Property Team of the Year and Employment Team of the Year, this year entries will be considered in four new categories.

Young Advocate of the Year will recognise achievement by outstanding individuals with up to seven years' experience in the field. Specialist Lawyer of the Year will be given to an individual who holds expertise within a specific area of law such as media or renewable energy.

The Training Provider of the Year gong has been introduced to reward excellent post-qualification training, and the Public Sector Law Team of the Year will offer recognition to a team that offers a consistent and reliable service to local authorities, government or related agencies.

The judges will also decide on another recipient for the lifetime achievement award, aware that whoever receives it will have some big shoes to fill.

In March, that award was given to Lord Mackay of Clashfern, a monumental figure in Scottish law, who described the accolade as "absolutely extraordinary".

* Criteria and guidelines for the Scott + Co Scottish Legal Awards 2010 are available from www.thelegalawards.com. Nominations close on 2 December and the results will be announced at a ceremony on 19 March 2010

To read this article in The Scotsman click here.

FOUR NEW CATEGORIES MAKE IT INTO SCOTTISH LEGAL AWARDS


Firms will now be considering which of the 15 categories to enter in the Scott + Co Scottish Legal Awards 2010. Included in this year’s line up are four new categories appearing for the first time.

The Young Advocate of the Year category has been developed to recognise outstanding individuals with up to seven years experience at the Bar. Confident, able and focused, this category will reward a Young Advocate who is determined to succeed.

The popular award for Specialist Lawyer of the Year returns to this year’s programme. It seeks to recognise an individual who holds expertise within a specific field for example renewable energy, charities, agriculture, technology or the media. The judges are looking for someone who is dedicated to the needs of a particular business or provides a unique resource within private practice.