Kian Docherty

The award was set up in 2018 to commemorate the late Kirk Murdoch, the widely respected lawyer and former chairman of Pinsent Masons in Scotland.

The scholarship, provided in collaboration with charity Lawscot Foundation which supports talented students from less advantaged backgrounds in accessing a career in law, includes a bursary, mentoring by senior lawyers, and a summer placement at the firm.

Kian Docherty suffered a number of family tragedies during his crucial final years at school which impacted his grades, but, determined to find a route into a legal career, he studied for a HND in legal studies before securing a law course place at university.

He said: “I came from a low income family but it was drilled into me at an early age that education was the way out and I did pay attention to that and did my best at school. Unfortunately, around fourth year, a collection of tragedies happened which made it difficult to do as well as I would have liked to.

“I got decent grades but not good enough for university and certainly not good enough for law, so an HND was the right option for me. The major part of my HND was spent in a homeless shelter after becoming homeless and that was an interesting time for sure, but I completed the course and was successful in gaining a university place.

“I was told at a recent law fair that people had a better chance of getting into Oxford University than they did of securing a law traineeship, so I am delighted to be accepted on to the Kirk Murdoch Scholarship and grateful for all the support this will provide.”

Jo MacLeod, the 2022 recipient of the Kirk Murdoch Scholarship, has been offered a traineeship at Pinsent Masons which she will start next year after completing her diploma at the University of Strathclyde.

She is the second scholar to succeed in securing a traineeship following on from University of Dundee graduate Emilia Gordon who has just completed her first year of a traineeship in Pinsent Masons’ London office.

Chair of Pinsent Masons in Scotland, Katharine Hardie, said: “The Kirk Murdoch Scholarship is providing an important pathway into the legal profession for young law students who may otherwise have found it difficult to get a foothold and to start a career in law. This is exactly what it was designed to achieve, and I am sure Kirk would be very proud that his legacy of helping young lawyers during his career continues to this day.”