This month’s Member Spotlight features WS Society Council member, Dr Alisdair MacPherson WS, who talked to us about how studying law changed his understanding of the world and what being a member of the WS Society means to him.
“Whether you’re interested in legal history, networking opportunities, CPD or special events, the WS Society has a lot to offer.”
1. What made you consider law as a career?
History was my first love, and so I decided to study it at the University of Edinburgh. As I approached the end of my degree, I was contemplating next steps and career paths that might fit well with my interests and skills. After some reflection, and discussions with friends and family, law became the frontrunner. However, I’m quite cautious by nature, and so wanted to be sure before embarking on a law degree. I therefore decided to obtain relevant experience, which I did in administrative roles with the Scottish Government (in community justice) and the Procurator Fiscal Service. These experiences helped confirm that I wanted to be a lawyer. I commenced an accelerated LLB. It was a great decision. Studying law completely changed my understanding of the world. I’ll be forever grateful to my younger self for making the decision to study law as a second degree, despite the significant financial costs and time commitment.
2. You are currently a Senior Lecturer in Commercial Law at the University of Aberdeen. Please tell us about your law career?
I suppose my career path is unusual in comparison with other members. After my LLB and Diploma in Legal Practice at the University of Edinburgh, I undertook a traineeship with a large commercial law firm. I enjoyed my time there and learnt a lot. But I was more attracted by the prospect of an academic career. I was inspired by my lecturers at university, and I wanted to explore in greater depth some of the issues that they had raised. I therefore obtained funding for a PhD on floating charges in Scotland, supervised by Scott Wortley and George Gretton (two of the lecturers who had inspired me in the first place).
During my PhD, I also had a very memorable year at the Max Planck Institute in Hamburg. After finishing my thesis, and spending time tutoring and lecturing at Edinburgh, I moved north to Aberdeen in 2018. I didn’t know the city well but it has become home and I’m very fond of it and the surrounding countryside. The University of Aberdeen provides a supportive environment, with fantastic colleagues, and it has been great to teach students at all levels over a number of years and to see many of them join the legal profession. I’m currently on research leave until the summer, so I’m working on a few articles and books, mainly in my principal research areas, the law of debt and insolvency law. Hopefully one or two of these will be published soon!
3. How did you first come to hear about the WS Society and what made you want to become a member?
I had a general awareness of the WS Society even before I became a law student. I think I must have encountered it while studying Scottish history, which I suppose reflects the significance of Writers to the Signet over the centuries. During my legal studies I learned more about the Society and its status and work in the present day. A few years after becoming an academic lawyer, I decided that I’d like to join, in part because I wished to retain strong links with the legal profession in Scotland. I was also keen to become a member of an esteemed membership organisation, and to contribute to its ongoing success.
4. What would you say to any lawyer considering WS membership?
I would encourage them to apply. Whether you’re interested in legal history, networking opportunities, CPD or special events, the WS Society has a lot to offer. The Signet Library is of course a beautiful venue for any occasion. Another incentive is that there are various ways in which members can shape what the Society does, including with respect to the activities mentioned above. And, while it may seem grandiose to say, the Society denotes long-standing excellence at the heart of the Scottish legal community. I am proud to be a member.