Nyree Conway gives Kilgraston pupils insight into the legal life

Nyree Conway, from Thorley Stephenson SSC, visited Kilgraston School on 24 January as part of the school’s Women and Business initiative to speak to fifth and sixth form pupils about a career in the legal profession.

During the lecture, Ms Conway explained her route from reading law at Glasgow University to her current position as the Edinburgh firm’s only female director.

“I really love what I do,” she said, “specialising in this particular field, you have to be good at listening and negotiating – it’s all about the people.”

Ms Conway told the girls how she briefly considered a career in accountancy but soon realised her true calling was law: “Roughly two-thirds of my university contemporaries progressed to accountancy and management consultancy, but pretty early on I decided I wanted to concentrate on a legal career, earning a traineeship in criminal law.”

She went on to describe how a degree in Scots law is a much-coveted qualification and opens doors and possibilities around the world: “One of my best friends works in Australia. Having completed his law degree he took his CA qualification and now works for as a fund manager in Sydney.”

Entering the legal process was, she said, all down to the traineeship and often you had to plan well ahead: “Bigger law firms recruit up to two years in advance,” she said.

“They operate a rotation system, usually of around three months, in tax/family/corporate/conveyancing, giving you a ‘taster’ of each specialty.”

Ms Conway told the girls that there was no such thing as a “typical day” as a family lawyer and often she would have to dash from client meetings to law courts, with work frequently taking her all over Scotland: “You have to employ a huge range of skills on a daily basis.”

Girls heard how Ms Conway had been a director since September 2016, having initially joined the family law division as associate in 2014, “Be ambitious, there’s a lot of opportunity out there.”

There were lots of questions, including: “What would you have read at university if it hadn’t been law?” “history,” and: ”Can you work in England after qualifying in Scotland?” “Yes, after a one-year conversion course.”

Headmistress, Dorothy MacGinty, said: “These sort of opportunities and connections are invaluable. Planning your tertiary learning and career can be a daunting process; hearing from an industry insider gives an unparalleled understanding of what’s really involved with a job.”