Margo makes her mark at Lockharts

With a family history in farming, and being the wife of dairy farmer, Robbie Scott, of Shacklehill Farm, Mossblown, as well as having two farming-mad sons, Margo couldn’t be more suited to agricultural law.

Having worked her way up from employee to partner, which now sees her head the agricultural department at her firm, Margo has achieved her dream of working in the farming community, and with a warm and outgoing personality like hers, it is easy to see why she has so many farming clients who trust her with their legal dealings, with one of them remarking that: “she makes everything so easy to understand, and we really appreciate that, because sorting out your legal affairs can sometimes be a muddle”.

Margo took some time out of her schedule, as a solicitor, wife and mother, and discussed her path into agricultural law.

Where do you work and what is your role?
I am a partner at Lockharts, Ayr, and I head the agricultural property team as well as doing some private client work.

Was it difficult to become a partner?
It’s a challenge to become a partner in a business, but it’s such a great achievement.

What is the set-up at the firm?
Lockharts is a long-established legal practice, having been around for 140 years. We are a four-partner firm, with my three stalwart colleagues comprising of Stephen Bradford, Peter Lockhart and Lynsey Rowney. Stephen deals with our corporate and commercial cases; Lynsey all of our wills, trusts and executries; and Peter any criminal or road-traffic matters. They are all fantastic at what they do, and are a great team to work with.

How did you become a solicitor?
I got an honours degree in law at the University of Glasgow, then a diploma in legal practice. I studied for five years, and then did a two-year traineeship, before becoming fully qualified.

Is getting a degree crucial to becoming a solicitor?
Yes. It’s a very technical job, so you do need to know your stuff, but there is nothing better than experience for getting better at what you do. You really start to learn when you are out in the field, putting what you have learned into practice, which is the same in any job, really, and the best way to get experience is when you start getting the deals.

Why did you get into agricultural law?
When you have a farming background, and that interest is already there, you can relate to farmers, and so becoming an agricultural solicitor was a natural career path for me.
Before I became a solicitor, I always had an interest in working within the agricultural industry, and I think I saw becoming a lawyer as a way of doing that. Admittedly, I did go and work in Glasgow to begin with, at MacLay Murray and Spens, now known as Dentons, and I did a lot of business law during that time, dealing with a lot of high-value clients.
I enjoyed that, but eventually my life started to change, particularly when I had my children, so I decided it was time to look at ways of working closer to home, which would allow me to have more of an active role in their lives.
Being at home more often with my kids was always so important to me, and making the move to Ayr made that possible, which I think Robbie and the boys do appreciate - most of the time.
Being in Ayr has been important for me as a solicitor as well; since joining Lockharts I have been accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in agricultural law, and there are only about 25 of us in Scotland. 
I also get to work with a great team, and some fantastic clients.

How many children do you have?
I’ve got two boys, Rory, who is 12, and Kyle, who is 8.
Both of the boys are very keen to farm, and they love doing calf showmanship. They’ve won prizes in young handlers classes, and seeing your family being interested in your industry – well, it just spurs you on, and keeps the enthusiasm there, for all of us.
I love my family, and family always comes first, but I really enjoy what I do as well. Trying to get the balance right can sometimes be a challenge, but that’s what makes each day interesting.

What is your agricultural background?
I originally come from Altewan Farm, at Maybole, a dairy beef and sheep unit, which my brother, James, continues to farm. Farming is therefore in my blood, and part of who I am.
Obviously being married to a farmer, and living at Shacklehill, has continued that agricultural background, and I love the fact that I am still living on a farm.
My dad was a huge influence on my life, and I really wanted to make him proud – that was so important to me, and that’s what made me want to give back to the farming community, because he worked so hard himself.

Does your agricultural background help you with your job?
I think my connection to the rural community has really helped me in my career, but I would also say that I am quite a people person, and that fits well within the farming community.
Being able to get along with people means you can do just about anything – being able to relate and empathise, well, it makes a big difference to your job.
I also still have a lot of connections with other businesses and solicitors, particularly from when I worked in Glasgow, and I like that I am still in contact with them, because it keeps you up-to-date with what’s happening elsewhere.

How do you market the business?
I think my connection to the rural community is a large part of my marketing and PR. I take part in, and get involved in, a lot of local events, and I am constantly mixing with farmers. That allows me to show them what I can do for them, and it allows farmers to get to know me, and see that I am on the same page as them.

What struggles are you currently facing as an agricultural solicitor?
The Scottish Law Commission has proposed that certain aspects of the law of succession should be overhauled.
At present, we have control over who we leave our heritable assets to, such as a farm, a house, or land, and if the law of succession is changed, then a spouse or child will be able to claim what is called their legal rights, in a share of the farm, the house, or the land – whereas, at present, they can only claim a share of moveable property, like money, machinery or stock. I act for a lot of farmers and landowners, and this proposal concerns me. It completely removes the control, or certainty, people currently have, when drafting their wills. If this is legislated for, then it will have major repercussions for the agricultural community.

Are you involved in any other projects?
I am on the Ayr Faculty of Solicitors Deans Council, and we meet once a month, and make different decisions about our local faculty. Likewise, I am a member of the Agricultural Law Association.
I am also on the PTA council at the boys’ school, and that allows me to be involved in their education, and meet other parents within the local community.
That's also why I like working in Ayr, because it allows me to have an involvement with the local community on a work, social, and personal level.

Do you provide any sponsorship?
We sponsor some local events and agricultural shows, including Ayr Show. Our next upcoming events are Tarbolton Show and the West of Scotland Holstein Club evening dairy show, at Ayr Market, at which we sponsor the Supercow class. It’s nice to be able to give back to the local organisations.

How would you like things to progress?
I would like to go from strength to strength, potentially growing the firm, and bringing on new clients, of course, but on the whole, if the next 20 years are as good to me as the last, I will be very lucky.