Walker Laird are looking forward to The Business Lunch 2017.

We are delighted to be attending The Prince and Princess of Wales Business Lunch on October 6th, an annual event that is much anticipated on the Scottish Business Calendar.

This year’s event will once again be hosted in Glasgow City Chambers and is sponsored by, chartered accountants, Campbell Dallas. This year’s guest speaker is Brian Duffy who is the CEO of Aurum Holdings.

The work of the hospice focuses on providing the best quality of life for those living with life-limiting illnesses and offering support for their families, whether that be at home, in hospital or in the hospice itself. As a business, we are proud to support the hospice and look forward to hearing about the progress of the new hospice which is currently being built at Bellahouston Park and due to be ready for patients to move in Spring 2018.

Show Your Support

To donate to Raise the Roof, the latest phase of the Brick by Brick Appeal, visit http://www.ppwh.org.uk/donate or make a donation of £5 by texting ROOF to 70660.

We are looking forward to attending this year’s business lunch for the third consecutive year to hear from the speakers and to enjoy a lovely meal celebrating the work that they do.


Employment Tribunal Fees Illegal – Official!

The UK Supreme Court has declared application fees for Employment Tribunals and Employment Appeal Tribunals illegal as they are contrary to UK and EU law.

In delivering its judgement on this case, the Court said "The Fees Order is unlawful under both domestic and EU law because it has the effect of preventing access to justice. Since it had that effect as soon as it was made, it was therefore unlawful and must be quashed".

In July 2013 fees were introduced for Employment Tribunals and Employment Appeal Tribunals. These fees ranged from £390 to £1,200 with additional charges in cases that involved discrimination. At the time, the UK Government said that it needed to introduce fees to reduce the burden on the taxpayer who then funded the tribunal service. It also stated that such fees would outlaw claims that didn’t have any merit and that the introduction of fees was likely to encourage settlements.
What actually happened when fees were introduced was a dramatic reduction in the number of cases raised by individuals against their employers – with costs being cited as the main reason for this. This is a view supported by the UK Supreme court in its judgement.

What this now means is that the Government faces a bill of around £32 million to repay those who paid application fees since July 2013. It also means that from now on, anyone who wants to make an application to an Employment Tribunal or Employment Appeal Tribunal need not face application fees.

You can view Lord Reed delivering a Summary of the court’s judgement by clicking here. The Press Summary provides an outline of the points the court was asked to consider and the reasoning behind its decision. You can view the Press Summary by clicking here. The full text of the Judgement can be viewed by clicking here.

Contact Us

If you would like any help or advise in relation to any employment matter, please call us on 0141 887 5271 or click here and use our contact form to ask your question.


Walker Laird - Proud Sponsors of Glasgow Hawks RFC

20 years ago this month, Glasgow Hawks took to the pitch for the first time and what better time to announce that Walker Laird are now proud sponsors of Glasgow Hawks Rugby Club! With the new season just around the corner, we’re delighted to feature on the Glasgow Hawks home kit.

Supporting Glasgow Hawks

Last season, Hawks reached 4th place in the BT Premiership league table, and Semi-
Finals for the BT Cup. The Glasgow Hawks look to blaze their own trail in the BT Premiership and aim for the top spot in the season ahead. The boys have been busy on the training field in prep for their first league match on Saturday 2nd September against Marr.

If you fancy a great day out, save the date of 30th September 2017 and enjoy Match Day Hospitality when Glasgow Hawks take on Hawick, joined by the one and only Stuart Hogg. It’s a match you don’t want to miss!

If that’s not enough, keep an eye out for Hawks Business Networking Events. Dates will be released soon!

We are excited for the forthcoming season and we wish the club the best of luck with the season ahead.

 

 

 


Walker Laird scores for the Scottish Association for Mental Health

Walker Laird were proud to take part in a charity football tournament which was hosted by Rutherford Cross in order to raise money for SAMH, the nation’s leading mental health charity. It was an excellent team-bonding event fuelled by competitive spirit and we've managed to raise over a whopping £1,000 in donations so far! The tournament took place at Powerleague, Townhead in Glasgow and was a brilliant way for Michael Wilson, his colleagues and friends to unwind from the office and interact with the other companies participating in the tournament.

The event was extremely well organised by the Rutherford Cross team, it was great to see such enthusiasm not only amongst all the teams participating, but the supporters that came along and helped give the players that little extra "kick", allowing us to reach the semi-final in the tournament!

Supporting SAMH

Walker Laird were delighted to contribute towards such a worthy cause along with the other companies: Clydesdale Bank, AJ Gallagher Insurance, Maxim, Dawnfresh, City Facilities, Wright Johnston MacKenzie, Keepmoat, French Duncan, First Milk and Harper MacLeod.

Congratulations to the winning team, AJ Gallagher Insurance. Walker Laird will be back training soon to hopefully reach the final next year!

SAMH aims to reduce the stigma attached to mental health, promote good mental health and provide invaluable support to those indeed. If you would like to make a donation to support this charity, you can do so by following this link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jonathan-donnelly1

 


The Apprentice…..well, Trainee Solicitor, actually

In this article, Anna Brown talks about her experience of working with Walker Laird as a new Trainee Solicitor. Anna is no stranger to our News having previously reflected on her work experience with Walker Laird. You can read that article by clicking here. Her first taste of the firm certainly didn’t put her off and now she’s a Trainee Solicitor going through her qualification to become a fully-fledged lawyer. Here’s what she has to say about the whole experience so far:

After completing two weeks’ work experience at Walker Laird in July 2015, I was very lucky to be kept on as a part-time member of staff. I was employed to help out in the office with various duties - mail, reception cover, scanning, taking deliveries, filing, doing legal research etc. I then progressed into the Civil Department, where I worked as a Legal Secretary whilst studying. I graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an LLB in June 2016, and have completed my Diploma in Legal Practice at Strathclyde University. I have now been fortunate enough to have been offered a two-year specialised training contract in the Civil Department in Walker Laird.

Legal Studies And Progression

Studying on the Diploma alongside working part time in Walker Laird was very useful as one complemented the other. I started the Diploma course with a good basic understanding of how the legal profession operates in practice, which is something you would not know from the undergrad LLB course alone. This has been hugely beneficial for me. Even the simple tasks expected from the Diploma, such as creating a paper file, are a mystery to many others on the course as they have not had the privilege of being involved in a legal office.  On the other side of things, the Diploma gave me a greater understanding of the process of various legal transactions which I would not have been able to learn in a busy workplace. I can therefore apply this knowledge when working on various tasks at work.

I have now started my traineeship at Walker Laird. I have been a trainee for just over a month now. The experience I have gained from working in Walker Laird for almost two years before starting is experience I could never have gained from a classroom, and has been the most helpful over the past month. The support from my colleagues has been overwhelming, and they have reassured me that they will continue to help me every step along the way. I already knew the way in which the solicitors and staff in my department operate and so I know what is expected of me.

My role now includes a wider variety of duties and more responsibility. I am now largely involved with preparing for Court throughout the week, in particular for Paisley Sheriff Court on Friday’s. The Friday court deals with Summary Cause, Small Claims, and the new Simple Procedure cases. The Simple Procedure in a new court procedure and will soon replace small claims. This was something I was taught at University, and something I could bring to the team when I started. I am also a lot more involved in dealing with our Family Law cases, meeting with clients, liaising with other solicitors, drafting letters, and administration duties for court. I have also worked closely alongside my colleague Michael Wilson who specialises in Personal Injury in assisting him in preparing for Personal Injury cases that have litigated.  My roles and responsibilities will only continue to grow, but I feel the training I am getting has me prepared for every new challenge that comes my way.

I feel in the past month I have had such a hands-on experience and have learned so much already. Every day I learn something new. The size and nature of Walker Laird is going to allow me to have a specialised, intense traineeship with the greatest support around me. Working closely alongside three solicitors, in the Civil Litigation department on a day to day basis, is a traineeship that is rare to come around.  I personally am very grateful for this opportunity. I am only at the beginning of my traineeship, and have a vast amount to learn but it is such a rewarding experience to see all the hard work over the past five years paying off. Most importantly, I am thoroughly enjoying my traineeship, and working for Walker Laird. I would not have chosen to start my career in any other way and I am excited to see what the future has in store for me.


Kirklandneuk Primary School WOW’s Walker Laird with their Artwork

Kirklandneuk Primary School recently took part in their World of Work (WOW) Week, an initiative to help inspire pupils about their future and the opportunities available to them through the success stories told by local businesses. Ronnie McGinlay (Partner), Pamela Evans (Estate Agent Negotiator) and Hazel McGinlay (Business Development Manager) at Walker Laird had a fantastic visit to the school, meeting staff and chatting with the pupils and it was encouraging to see such enthusiasm amongst the children regarding their career aspirations.

Art Competition

 

We also set the pupils across the whole Primary School a task to help ignite their creative flair and design two pictures: a lion design for P1-3’s and an Estate Agency “for sale” board for P4-7’s. The children were shown examples of the Estate Agency boards that are currently used and a photograph of the Walker Laird Lion, “A Lion for all Seasons” for some inspiration. The Walker Laird Lion was bought at auction in the Pride of Paisley event where the proceedings were split evenly between ACCORD Hospice and St Vincent’s Hospice. The lion resides loud and proud at our office in Paisley.

 

Walker Laird would like to thank all the children for taking part in the competition. It was great looking through everyone’s drawings and seeing the effort that was put into every design.

 

Massive congratulations to our 4 winners.

 

Lion Design ‘Harry’ – by Harry Troubridge (P1)

 

Lion Design ‘Suny’ – by Jessica Cooley (P3)

 

Estate Agency Design – Clark Gentles (P7)

 

Estate Agency Design – Lucy Dunn (P5)

 

We hope that you all liked your certificates and enjoy using your voucher for Soar at Intu Braehead. The winner’s drawings are displayed in both our Paisley and Renfrew Office windows, on our website and Facebook page.

 

Well done again to everyone who took part!


We are looking forward to a double celebration for St Mirren…

Milestone anniversaries are extra special, we know this from 2015 when Walker Laird celebrated 200 years in business, so we are doubly delighted to be the main sponsor at a very special night to celebrate one of Paisley and St Mirren’s great highlights – the 30th anniversary of the Scottish Cup victory.  Yes, it’s 30 years since Iain Ferguson’s extra time goal saw the St Mirren team proudly lifted the Scottish Cup at Hampden Park.

Awards Night

The special night at the Normandy Hotel on the 12th May is also the St Mirren Player of the Year Awards night, something we are proud to be sponsoring once again this year.

Entertainment will be provided by former Grade 1 referee, John Rowbotham and Scotland’s top football impressionist, Paul Reid under the watchful eye of Journalist, Bill Leckie.  This year’s guests will also be joined by the Scottish Cup winning Manager, Alex Smith and members of the winning team from 1987.

We are looking forward to this night of celebration where we applaud St Mirren players past and present.  Below are some pictures from the last year’s event when Hazel and Ronnie McGinlay were representing Walker Laird at the Awards Dinner at the Glynhill Hotel, this year we are looking forward to the double celebration.


Walker Laird are fundraising for BBC Children in Need 2016

At Walker Laird, we are always proud to support both local and national charities, throughout the year. We took part in various fundraising events last year, such as Children in Need and Text Santa, and earlier this month we were delighted to once again attend The Business Lunch in Glasgow, supporting the Prince & Princes of Wales Hospice.

Last year, we decided to raise funds for BBC Children in Need, with a dress-down day in our office. Our staff made donations to take part on the day and we were delighted to make a contribution to the charity, which raises funds for disadvantaged young people across the UK. With such a great response from our team, we will once again be swapping our work wear for casual dress tomorrow.

Thank You

We would like to thank everyone who donated last year and we look forward to another great fundraising effort tomorrow.


We back the bid for Paisley 2021!

As a local business in Paisley, founded over 200 years ago, we are delighted with the opportunity to celebrate our town for its rich culture and history.

Our town’s heritage is both artistic and architectural, which is why it is the perfect candidate for UK City of Culture. Most known for the famous Paisley pattern, now used across the world, our town is certainly recognised and celebrated in the textile industry.

Paisley is also renowned for its impressive architecture, including Paisley Abbey, Paisley Town Hall, the Coats Observatory and of course, Fountain Gardens, which were recently restored! (We’re also very proud of our own building on Gilmour Street, with its traditional pillar design)!

 

Continued Support

Walker Laird are proud to support Paisley’s bid for UK City of Culture, as it is important that we highlight the town’s rich heritage. Last month, we sponsored two lions in the Pride of Paisley event, which was a perfect representation of the town’s artistic talents. Attracting new visitors, the lion-inspired art project emphasised Paisley’s culture and we were delighted to be involved.

We have thoroughly enjoyed the annual Spree Festival, celebrating music, arts and comedy in Paisley, running from Friday October 14th – Saturday October 22nd – the Spiegeltent is right outside our Paisley offices!

With many more events already planned, we’re sure it’s going to be an exciting year for our town, with the decision for UK City of Culture being made next year – good luck Paisley!


We’re looking forward to The Business Lunch 2016

At Walker Laird, we are always delighted to support charities and our local community and we are therefore looking forward to once again attending The Business Lunch at the beginning of next month.

Sponsored by enthusiastic supports, Campbell Dallas for another year running, the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice event will take place on November 4th at the Glasgow City Chambers. Last year’s lunch was a great success and we look forward to supporting the hospice, while also networking with other professionals from across Glasgow.

Work By The Hospice

The work of the hospice focuses on providing the best quality of life for those living with life-limiting illnesses and offering support for their families, whether that be at home, in hospital or in the hospice itself. As a business, we are proud to support the hospice and look forward to an afternoon of celebrating their work.

We not only look forward to what is always an exceptional meal but also to presentations from various guest speakers, as we host a table of team members, clients and friends of Walker Laird.