The Scullion Law team celebrate their success in the Scottish Legal Awards with BBC Scotland newsreader Catriona Shearer, right.
By Bill Heaney
The best businesses, teams and individuals in Scottish legal practice were honoured at the legal industry’s glittering celebration at the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow.
And a family company owned by Dumbarton-born Nicholas Scullion, pictured left, formerly of Oxhill Road, was one of the major winners.
Scullion LAW scooped the prestigious Commitment to the Community Award at the Scottish Legal Awards.
Scullion LAW, a dementia friendly law firm with offices in the heart of Hamilton, Glasgow and across the West of Scotland, received a standing ovation when they received the ‘Commitment to the Community’ award.
This category was one of the most highly sought after with a record number of entries and a total of eight finalists being announced from competing firms across Scotland.
To jointly win this community award with Digby Brown, one of the largest law firms in Scotland, was “a phenomenal achievement for this boutique, community led firm.”
Founder Nicholas Scullion said: “In times of uncertainty, it is essential to maintain good communications with the public we serve. We give back because we care. Helping those who live and work around us is in our DNA.
“We have been committed to the community for over 40 years and will continue to do our best to make a positive difference to the lives of others.”
Mr Scullion, whose wife Dorothy and children, Nicholas, Nigel and Diana are all part of Scullion Law, was employed with the old Dumbarton District Council before setting up his own company 40 years ago. He has two other children, Marisa and Roger.
He is one of eight children of John and Anastasia Scullion, of Judemar, Oxhill, and was educated at St Patrick’s High School and graduated from the University of Glasgow.
Catriona Shearer, the BBC Scotland newsreader, who hosted the event said Scullion Law “demonstrated to the judges their very impressive support of one particular project, showed impressive commitment across a number of community areas and brilliantly evidenced results.
“The judges were extremely impressed and described this firm as making a real difference in the community in which they operate.”
Proud winners – Nick Scullion, his director wife, Dorothy and daughter, Diana.
Diana McLeish, who is Mr Scullion’s daughter, said: “The community is at the heart of everything we do. We are small enough to know what is going on in the local area and we feel it is our duty to go above and beyond, because we are more than just a law firm. We are a dementia friendly firm. All our staff are trained to help people living with dementia.
“Our two main charities are Alzheimer Scotland and Marie Curie. We have been writing FREE Wills for everyone in Scotland over 55 for five successful years and this has raised a substantial amount of future income for the hospice of which we are very proud.
“We would like to thank our clients for their continued support and generous contributions to this charity.
“In addition to fundraising we work closely with local schools to organise an interschool debating competition which is now in its 10th year.
“This has seen motions passed through the Scottish Parliament with MSPs commenting that it is an excellent example of a local firm engaging with the pupils, schools and communities around us.
“There is so much more we still want to do and our team will be taking part in the Kiltwalk on 28 April as well as Sleep in the Park later in the year. It feels good to give and excellent to receive this phenomenal recognition from our peers in the Scottish Legal profession. Hopefully we can continue to lead by example.”