Our first member is Thomas Murdock WS. Thomas is Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel EMEA at Blue Yonder and a WS Council member. We asked Thomas about law as a career, law in commercial tech and what being a member of the WS Society means to him.

What/who made you consider law as a career?

I actually moved into a graduate LLB after studying music at undergrad level, and my plan was to find a way of combining these two interests. But when I qualified in 2012 there wasn’t a great deal of opportunity for a Scots lawyer without the right connections to move into media law, plus there wasn’t really a media law presence in Scotland at that time. I took an NQ job at a venture capital plc specialising in tech startups in a very commercial role crossing business, tech and law, and the rest is history.

Law wasn’t actually my first choice of career, more of a pragmatic solution, and I don’t think it’ll be my only career. I’m really excited about portfolio careers, the agility and portability of skills in the workplace now and in the future. I think it’s fair to say that the legal profession was brought hesitantly into the 21st century and I think necessity will dictate that traditional roles will give way to something more dynamic, as the commercial landscape changes and integrated AI solutions become an accepted norm. Change is the only constant, and I’m excited about what the future holds.

What attracted you to work in commercial tech?

Something I came to realise as I got older was that I have a short attention span and can get bored easily, so moving into a dynamic area like tech made sense, since the landscape is constantly evolving. I also knew I was unsuited to private practice – the suit and tie, time-served, deferential thing just didn’t click with me. Tech companies seemed to have a more youthful, diverse, meritocratic outlook and so I fitted in much better with my growth/ disruptive mindset, particularly working in-house viewing everything through a commercial lens. For me, Tech was the antidote to what I’d experienced in private practice, and felt full of opportunity.

Tell us about your role and what a typical week looks like, for you?

I’m one of the three regional heads of legal in a global tech business with 7,000+ employees, so anything and everything can (and does) hit my desk within my EMEA purview. My team primarily focus on revenue transactions, negotiating complex and high value deals, but Blue Yonder is in a transformative period and so there’s no shortage of strategic projects to work on, like acquisitions, integration, go-to-market planning, training, and the usual in-house lawyer staple of implementing process (especially using tech) to grow and scale. I also look after EMEA housekeeping items like HR escalations, bricks and mortar management, and working with our global Privacy and Compliance leads to navigate and cascade EMEA-specific considerations amongst my team and the business.

How did you first come to hear about the WS Society and what made you want to become a member?

I first came to hear of the WS Society as a child, seeing ‘WS’ on law firm letterheads and wondering what it meant. Fast-forward to my traineeship and I remember discussing with one of the Edinburgh-based partners, who was a WS, about the Society and what it meant to them. Being a relative outsider, becoming a WS did feel something unattainable and like ‘part of the establishment’, but that posed an instant challenge and becoming a member was intriguing to me.

“My WS membership has extended my professional network, and provides a sense of belonging to a heritage where law, history, and culture interconnect and inform.”

After nearly 10 years of membership, in November 2023 I also became one of the WS Council members. The Council has an important consultative function in providing the Society’s Trustees with feedback on the Society’s activities, in pursuit of our charitable objects and providing subscriber engagement.

Being able to bring my experience to the table at the WS Society, both as a member and Council member, felt important to me. I’m an out gay man, and although that does not define me, being my authentic self has not always been easy in the workplace. Having experienced rejection, prejudice and both conscious and unconscious bias in my career, I’ve tried to take every opportunity to represent and advocate for diversity and inclusion within the roles that I’ve had, both employed and voluntary. I’ve found the WS Society to be open, inquisitive, inclusive and evolving to be fit for purpose now and in future.

In what way has the WS Society played a role in your career?

The WS Society offers professional, social and networking opportunities, both in Edinburgh and remotely, and has reconnected me with past colleagues. There’s also an excellent CPD programme, the extensive library itself – which can also be used as a great place for quiet working – and a variety of events throughout the year, for example when Senator John Kerry came to present last summer.

I’ve worked with a number of US and international tech companies since qualifying, and made some assertive career moves. Being a ‘WS’ has prompted questions and raised the profile of my Scots Law background amongst hiring managers, started interesting discussions and set me apart from other candidates. When potential employers understand more about the WS Society and the role it plays within the Legal profession in Scotland, it’s been seen as a positive differentiator.

What would you say to any lawyer considering WS membership?

My WS membership has extended my professional network, and provides a sense of belonging to a heritage where law, history, and culture interconnect and inform. The WS Society has changed a lot over the years and will continue to evolve, with a real focus on increasing diversity. In doing this, we hope to achieve a sense of belonging for our members. It’s crucial that we continue to attract and embrace lawyers with diversity of background, beliefs and journeys into law, and so I’d encourage anyone interested to visit the website or social media to find out more, and take the plunge.

If you would like to feature in a future Member Spotlight please contact Sarah Leask, Director, Engagement and Membership (sleask@wssociety.co.uk).