Peter Shand
raises a glass as Murray Beith Murray LLP celebrates a landmark anniversary by looking back, and forwards, in The Scotsman today. Read the full article below, republished by kind permission of The Scotsman:
‘Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose’ is quite an apt expression as Murray Beith Murray LLP celebrates its 175th anniversary.
Translated as ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’ it neatly sums up our attitude to a legal profession that is evolving at speed. We’re not alone celebrating our 175th and sticking with the French connection, we’re joined in that particular milestone by Pol Roger.
I’ll readily admit that legal services will never be as sumptuous as the luxury products dished up by the champagne house, but lawyers still play a part in every stage in our life cycle. A Will, or tax return, or property investment may not bring the same level of fun and celebration as a glass of fizz, but they will secure and protect your future and that of your family.
After 175 years we are still looking ahead for our clients in an ever-changing landscape and tailoring our services to suit their specific needs. Some of the firm’s earliest clients, including multi-generations of families, are still with us and that longevity of relationship is all too rare in today’s business community.
The key point is that we adapt to their needs as no two clients are the same. Whilst most have embraced the latest tech trends there are still plenty who prefer, what might be described as, old fashioned face-to-face engagement with their solicitor.
It’s certainly not the case that this section of our client base hasn’t embraced the digital world, but simply that some matters, in their view, are best dealt with in a personal way, directly in front of a trusted adviser. This comes at a time when organisations such as HMRC are ploughing down a digital path, a move some might view as modern social exclusion. Taxpayers are treated differently if they prefer paper. I wonder what the senior team at the old Board of Inland Revenue – funnily enough also formed 175 years ago – would think of that.
The world of technology, however, is having to keep pace with associated risks around data security, with fraud, identity theft and money laundering at the forefront of concerns. Professional services firms are wary about holding data they don’t need, and recent statistics show, astonishingly, that 50 per cent of UK businesses have been subjected to some form of cyberattack this year.
As a firm we have invested heavily to protect and secure data and all professionals who handle clients’ money should be doing the same. For example, just think of the amounts involved in buying or selling residential or commercial property. Cyber security professionals are in huge demand and who would have thought that ethical hacking would become a recognised profession?
Certainly not one of our earliest partners, Sir William Campbell Johnston, who in the early 1900s organised afternoon tea sessions for all partners with the explicit remit that they should discuss and be well acquainted will all the firm’s clients and their needs. Getting to know your client wasn’t perhaps as regulated then as now, but it worked and Sir William epitomised that, so much so that he once remarked on receiving a client letter: “She probably had too much port before she wrote it.”
And by the way, congratulations and happy 175th to Harrods, Boots, Pfizer and PwC, all of whom join us and Pol Roger in celebrating that landmark occasion this year – 1849 was indeed a fine vintage. I’m sure we’ll all raise a glass to celebrate.
Murray Beith Murray LLP, Private Client Solicitors
Peter Shand is a Partner with Murray Beith Murray LLP and heads our Asset Protection Group. Murray Beith Murray LLP is a private client practice, made up of specialist lawyers from a variety of legal disciplines, including experts in asset protection and estate planning. If you would like to get in touch to discuss your affairs, then please complete our contact form or call 0131 225 1200.
The firm was established in 1849, as advisors for generations of clients, committed to our values of integrity, expertise and trust. This aim and these values continue to this day as does our commitment to be here when you need us.