Candidates Anderson, Colin Campbell, Jonathan Carson, Stuart Haran, Paul Hutchison, Mark Leslie, Kim MacKay, Ross McIntyre, Ewan Malone, Brandon Melville, Victoria Murray, Susan Wiseman, Eilidh Candidate Information Name: Colin W Anderson Place(s) of Business: 15 Buckstone Place, Edinburgh EH10 6UB Professional degrees, Diplomas or qualifications: LLB (Hons.) ; Notary Public Date of Admission as a solicitor: 29 November 1977 Current self-employed/employed/unemployed position (please provide detail): Retired Solicitor Service to Local Faculty or Law Society of Scotland: Member of Society Career Mentoring Scheme In-House Lawyers Group Committee 1988 – 2012, including 15 years as Vice- Chairman Represented Society on the Board of the European Company Lawyers Association 1988 – 2005, including serving as Vice-President and President Former Member of Society Competition Law sub-committee Personal statement as to why you wish to stand for the Council (up to 250 words) – I have always taken a very close interest in the work of the Council and the issues facing the legal profession. I consider my experience and skills gained over 35 years in the legal profession would enable me to make a positive contribution to the Council’s work. While I have spent the larger part of my career in-house, I also spent 10 years in private practice. When I was in-house at Standard Life, I worked extensively with law firms, both large and small, in Scotland and the rest of the World. I also have considerable management and budgeting experience which I can bring to this role. I have extensive experience of committee work with the Society and also through my involvement with community organisations and a charity. I have the time to devote to this important role. Council Members must be aware of and represent the views of their constituents. If elected, I would propose to hold a monthly surgery in Edinburgh and issue a quarterly report on what I have done etc. These are difficult and challenging times for the legal profession and the Council must take the lead in supporting its members and defending their interests. This role would enable me to give something back to the legal profession and I would ask for your support to enable me to get involved in the Council’s work. Candidate Information Name: Jonathan Campbell Place(s) of Business: Capital Defence Lawyers 34 Leith Walk Edinburgh EH6 5AA Professional degrees, Diplomas or qualifications: LLB. Hons, University Of Glasgow Diploma In Legal Practice, GGSL th Date of Admission as a solicitor: 4 August 2008 Current self-employed/employed/unemployed position (please provide detail): Assistant at Capital Defence Lawyers. Service to Local Faculty or Law Society of Scotland: I am a solicitor working in criminal defence and children’s referral cases. I predominantly act in criminal cases within Edinburgh Sheriff Court. Personal statement as to why you wish to stand for the Council (up to 250 words) – I want the Council to reflect the diverse areas of practice within the profession. Against the background of proposed widespread reform I feel that it is particularly important to have representatives who regularly appear in court and have experience of the day to day workings of the Scottish court system. I hope to represent and protect the interests of court practioners working in both criminal and civil litigation. As a solicitor who is less than 5 years qualified I feel that I can represent the interests of trainees and newly qualified members of the profession and give them an additional voice on the Council. Candidate Information Name: Stuart Graham Carson Place(s) of Business: Wilson McLeod, Criminal Defence Lawyers 44 St Mary’s Street Edinburgh, EH1 1SX Professional degrees, Diplomas or qualifications: Bachelor of Laws Degree. Diploma in Legal Practice Solicitor Advocate Date of Admission as a solicitor: 1988 Current self-employed/employed/unemployed position (please provide detail): Partner – Wilson McLeod Criminal Defence Lawyers Service to Local Faculty or Law Society of Scotland: Edinburgh Barr Association Committee member on various occasions during my professional career. More recently I have been a faculty representative from the Barr Association liaising with the Legal Aid Negotiating Team of the Law Society of Scotland. In recent years I have also been an advisor to the Edinburgh Barr Association on Legal Aid matters. Personal statement as to why you wish to stand for the Council (up to 250 words) – The profession currently faces more significant challenges than it has ever done. From my work with the Edinburgh Barr Association with the Committee of the Society of Solicitor Advocates and the Criminal Practitioners Forum a I have gained an in depth knowledge of a range of skills which would be of assistance to the Council in addressing the challenges that the profession faces. I am of the view that the Council requires individuals who have not only the ability but the willingness to devote the time and attention required to assist the profession. Candidate Information Name: PAUL HARAN Place(s) of Business: PUBLIC DEFENCE SOLICITORS’ OFFICE Professional degrees, Diplomas or qualifications: LLB(Hons), DipLP, NP Date of Admission as a solicitor: March 2002 Current self-employed/employed/unemployed position (please provide detail): Solicitor-Advocate and Head of Office, PDSO Edinburgh Service to Local Faculty or Law Society of Scotland: Previous Council member of Edinburgh Bar Association Personal statement as to why you wish to stand for the Council (up to 250 words) – I have spent over 13 years working in Edinburgh in the field of criminal defence. I believe that I am well placed to represent both criminal and civil court practitioners in the Edinburgh area. I also have a strong knowledge and experience of Legal Aid practice. As a large area with 5 Council places, I believe that Edinburgh would be well served by having a representative with an exclusively court based background. I have previously served as a Council member in the Edinburgh Bar Association and I have very good relationships with local practitioners. As a Solicitor-Advocate, I also practice in the High Court of Justiciary. A first hand knowledge of the operations of the High Court will further help me in representing the interests of local practitioners. Candidate Information Name: Mark S Hutchison Place(s) of Business: Gilfedder & McInnes, 101 Leith Walk, Edinburgh Professional degrees, Diplomas or qualifications: MA. LLB. Dip LP. NP. Date of Admission as a solicitor: 1984 Current self-employed/employed/unemployed position (please provide detail): Solicitor with medium sized criminal firm carrying out mainly Legal Aid work Service to Local Faculty or Law Society of Scotland: Member of Edinburgh Bar Association for over a decade Member of Edinburgh Bar Association/Scottish Legal Aid Board Liaison Committee Member of Criminal Practitioner Forum with Law Society Member Law Society Committee re Solemn Fees/ Peer Review. Tutor Criminal Law and Evidence, University of Edinburgh Personal statement as to why you wish to stand for the Council (up to 250 words) – As a solicitor in private practice for many years I have been fortunate to have had experience in working in a large firm environment, small firms and also medium size firms. I hope that this experience will give me some insight into the problems facing our profession in what has been a difficult time, as well as the opportunities ahead. I have served on a number of committees with the Law Society and the Edinburgh Bar Association. I have also liaised with politicians of various parties, civil servants and the media to represent the views of solicitors. There are challenges ahead for the whole profession. I would like to play a part in facing up to those challenges. I would hope to protect and promote the interests of the profession. I believe the society should robustly promote our interests and offer guidance to the government when they seek to regulate the profession. I would hope that my skills and experience would be an asset to the society. Candidate Information Name: Kim Leslie Place(s) of Business: Digby Brown LLP Professional degrees, Diplomas or qualifications: LLB (Hons) Date of Admission as a solicitor: 1999 Current self-employed/employed/unemployed position (please provide detail): Self employed Service to Local Faculty or Law Society of Scotland: Council member for the Law Society since 2004. Current committee positions: • Convenor of Civil Justice Committee; • Member of Remuneration Committee; • Member of Audit Committee; • Mentor in Law Society Trainees Scheme Personal statement as to why you wish to stand for the Council (up to 250 words) – I believe the profession is coming through a period of considerable change - for some it has been a fight to survive, for others an opportunity to thrive. We are a diverse profession. The challenges and opportunities vary depending on the work that you do and/or the way in which you do it. However, I consider that, at the core we are still a collegiate profession. I believe the brand of Solicitor retains a real value. It is in all of our interests that the reputation of the profession is preserved and promoted. This requires leaders within Council capable and prepared to decision make on your behalf. It also requires a competence in strategic planning and a degree of common sense. I am comfortable with strategic planning and change management. It is very much part of the culture at Digby Brown. Indeed, change invigorates me. Furthermore, I am a litigator and have developed skills in drilling down to the core of an issue and constructing an argument. This can be transferred to the work as a Council member. Finally, I hugely enjoy meeting people. I would therefore welcome any opportunity to speak to and listen to members of the profession to convey their views to Council.