Affiliate member, Sian Keddie, talked to us about her path to law, being named a Key Lawyer by Legal 500 and the role the Society has played in her career to date.
1. You began your career as a paralegal while studying your LLB and DPLP via evening classes. What motivated you, and what was it like balancing full-time work with studying?
I had decided I wanted to be a lawyer as I came to the end of my undergraduate degree and applied for and was accepted to the accelerated LLB to begin in 2015. Unfortunately, I came up against a significant hurdle – funding. I simply was unable to afford to go back to university as a full-time student. I deferred my entry with a view to going into employment, saving the money I would need to pay my tuition and keep myself afloat for the time I would need to be back at university, but as often happens, life got in the way and I was never in a financial position to follow this path.
I was about to give up on the idea when I found out about Robert Gordon University’s offering of the LLB and DPLP in night classes – which would allow me to continue working full-time to fund the degree as well as my living expenses. I started this in 2018 and at the same time, got a job at Morton Fraser as an executive assistant – I knew if I was spending my evenings as a law student, it made sense to optimise the rest of my day learning how to be a lawyer by immersing myself in that world. I am so grateful to Morton Fraser for taking a chance on me, as I had no legal experience and had never even worked in an office before when they hired me! Getting the balance right was extremely difficult and in retrospect I don’t think I had a proper night’s sleep in 4 years, but I think my determination to see it through really kept me going. I was also surrounded by incredibly supportive colleagues both at Morton Fraser and when I moved to BTO in 2021, who cheered me on the whole way and answered my no doubt seemingly endless stream of questions.
2. In 2023, you made the bold move into litigation, fully expecting it to be temporary. What inspired you to take that leap, and at what point did you realise you had found your place as a litigator?
Having worked in private client and agricultural property in my legal career leading up to my traineeship commencing, I wanted to use my time as a trainee as advantageously as I could and get experience in different practice areas. I particularly enjoyed the litigation classes on the LLB and DPLP and so this felt like a great place to start.
I have always thrived in busy, fast-paced environments and so jumping into a litigation role really amplified that for me. It did not take long for me to figure out this was where I was meant to be as a lawyer and I actually ended up doing a full litigation traineeship across a few different areas. I was fortunate to start appearing in court very early in my traineeship, getting my restricted practicing certificate after three months, so was able to get a number of administrative hearings under my belt very quickly. I think the point I realised I had found my place was in November 2023, when I appeared in court seeking disapplication of Qualified One-Way Costs Shifting due to manifestly unreasonable conduct. At that time, successful disapplication of QOCS motions were few and far between – I believe it had only been done less than 4 or 5 times, and as far as I was aware never by a trainee solicitor! When my motion was granted and I got to walk away with my very first interlocutor including an explanatory note from the Sheriff, I felt like a proper litigator for the first time. Shortly after that, I was granted a reduction of my training contract by the Law Society of Scotland due to my pre-traineeship experience and got to qualify early, choosing to remain in litigation.
3. You’ve already achieved significant milestones in court (since qualifying in 2024, you’ve appeared in nine courts across Scotland), which professional moment so far has felt the most pivotal, and why?
I think the most pivotal moment was my first Proof. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t win. Truth be told, it was actually a bit of a disaster starting from the moment I left my car in the morning when I immediately fell and ripped the knee of my trousers (and my knee). And it only really went downhill from there. But it did feel like a huge moment in my career to stand in the courtroom, in the gown I borrowed from my boss (which fortunately covered the ripped trousers and the blood). I was a self-confessed “theatre kid” and wanted to be an actor growing up – so it was a full-circle moment to be standing on that stage (court three in Perth Sheriff Court) performing my well-rehearsed script (case submissions) to a captive audience (of three people – the Sheriff, the opposing solicitor and my friend Angela from law school who was the duty criminal solicitor at the court and had nothing better to do that afternoon).
The Sheriff that day, while not ruling in my favour (my case was apparently “unwinnable”) was kind enough to invite me to chambers after the Proof to give me some feedback, having been told by his clerk it was my first Proof. He really took the time to go through the feedback with me, and it was truly invaluable. I have applied what he told me in every court appearance I have had since.
4. Being named a “key lawyer” by Legal 500 is a remarkable achievement. What did that recognition mean to you personally and professionally and what are you most excited about as you look ahead to 2026 and beyond?
I was gobsmacked when I saw my name, it was entirely unexpected. I am fortunate to work with Tim Edward WS, and he is endlessly supportive of my career and did not give a second thought to including me in the submission (though I did not expect to be named at publication). Seeing what was fed back to the Legal 500 team by our clients about me specifically felt so surreal – it is one thing being recognised within your firm, but a wholly different thing seeing external recognition like this. I think I screenshot the Legal 500 website section and sent it to everyone in my life that morning! It really reinforced to me that I did the right thing, pursuing a career in law.
Looking forward, I am particularly excited to see what we do with Women in Law Scotland having formally re-launched the organisation in March last year. We have so many exciting events and sessions planned for 2026! Working on the committee is an absolute joy – being surrounded by such a passionate and driven cross-section of women from across different practices, in-house and the Bar. And of course, to seeing what comes next in my career – I am hoping to pursue Solicitor Advocacy once I am eligible and seeking qualification in England & Wales.
5. Finally, you have been a Student member of the Society and are now an Affiliate member. How was your membership played a part in your career and what would you say to anyone considering WS membership?
I was extremely fortunate at the beginning of my legal career to work as an assistant to James Rust WS, the then Clerk of the WS Society. James was always so supportive of my goal to qualify as a Solicitor and went truly above and beyond to teach me and ensure I was getting the most out of my time on his team – including me in cases and with clients to a level beyond what one would usually get as a legal assistant! It was James who encouraged me to join the WS Society as a Student member and endorsed my application, and I was admitted to the Society with him watching on as I signed my name into the book of members (albeit, in my nerves I accidentally wrote the wrong date, which I believe he discreetly fixed for me afterwards!) James sadly and suddenly passed in 2020 after a short illness. For me, being a WS member represents his legacy and mentorship that I was so lucky to have when I started out, and something I am trying now to pay forward to trainees and law students myself. The Society has played a huge role in my career since I joined in 2018 and I am very proud to be a part of such a prestigious and historic organisation. As an Affiliate member I get so much out of networking, camaraderie and training provided by the Society and to anyone considering membership I would absolutely encourage it.