
Reflecting on Ramadan as a Muslim Trainee Solicitor
As we enter the final days of Ramadan, Sarah Rasul reflects on the past month and looks ahead to the upcoming Eid-al-Fitr celebrations.
As a leading Scottish SME law firm, we are proud of the collaborative and inclusive environment we have created for our staff, and we are committed to ensuring that our people are well-rewarded, well-motivated and well-led.
MacRoberts continues to develop and grow as a dynamic, modern Scottish law firm, serving businesses and private individuals, with strong leadership and operational excellence. We are committed to providing the highest-quality service to our clients and recognise and value that our people play an essential role in our business and all that we do. Our people are vital to the continuing growth and success of our business.
Our core values underpin all that we do: Commitment, Integrity, Innovation, Excellence, Respect and Teamwork.
MacRoberts is a law firm where you can really make your mark. Let us be part of your success.
MacRoberts is an equal opportunities employer, and we work hard to ensure we develop a workforce which reflects the Scottish population in terms of age, gender, religion, belief, race, sexual orientation and disability.
All of our Partners and staff undergo mandatory annual training to ensure they are aware of, and comply with, their obligations and responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010. Additional training on equality, diversity and inclusion matters is provided both internally and by external training providers.
We recognise that our people are happier and more motivated working in an agile working pattern, as they feel like they have a better work-life balance. Following feedback taken from our staff during the pandemic and against a backdrop of continued investment in technology and processes, we operate an agile working policy which allows our people to split their working week between two or three days working flexibly from home (where their role allows) and two or three days working in the office.
Our open-plan city centre offices have been developed to encourage an atmosphere of discussion, in-person contact and interaction, connecting people within the business and enabling meaningful collaboration with colleagues and clients.
We are committed to the continual professional development (CPD) of our staff, and in-person and virtual training sessions are delivered regularly by our senior people and through our partnership with Edinburgh College. Our internal TEAM@MacRoberts training programme is also designed to build on the legal, commercial and soft skills of our teams.
Training sessions delivered throughout the year include difficult conversations for managerial staff, business development, stress in the workplace, building personal and team resilience, menopause awareness and disability awareness.
As a sector associated with long hours, stress and no regular work pattern, the legal profession has not been highly regarded in prioritising mental health, with the Law Society of Scotland highlighting that one in five solicitors will face a mental health condition at some point in their career. Not seeking or being provided with the right support can impact on an individual's long-term as well as short-term health.
The mental health and wellbeing of each member of our staff is of paramount importance to us, and we endeavour to ensure that our people are happy, healthy and productive. Some of the ways in which we do this include mental health awareness training for all staff, Mental Health First Aiders, monthly 'Fika' sessions, online exercise classes, walk and cycle to work schemes, all-staff summer "away days", CSR days, career breaks and access to a confidential counselling service.
To allow our staff to perform at their best and flourish in their professional and personal lives, we have developed an environment in which all employees can contribute to the promotion of good employment practices and diversity and give back to the communities in which we live and work, and we are fully supportive of the personal and professional aspirations of our people.
The firm's Diversity, Inclusion & Wellbeing Forum, driven by a committed group of staff from diverse backgrounds and from all areas and levels of the firm, seeks input from staff and works to maximise the employee experience in areas including LGBTQI+ inclusion, gender equality, ethnic diversity, disability, socio-economic, mental and physical health and financial wellbeing.
We see the purpose of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as two-fold – firstly, it helps us give something back to our communities; and secondly, it fosters a team spirit within the firm, bonding people together and making us closer as work colleagues, generating a pride in who we are and how we work.
CSR days are available to everyone across the firm, allowing our people to support a cause that's important to them during working hours.
We take our responsibility towards the environment very seriously. In early 2020, we achieved ISO 14001:2015 certification. We are proud of this achievement as this standard highlights the firm's commitment to environmental awareness.
Driving this commitment forward is our dedicated Environmental Committee whose purpose is to monitor, manage and improve the sustainability of our operations and activities within the firm, to encourage and support our staff to incorporate environmentally-friendly habits into their own lives and to raise awareness of environmental best practice among others that we work with.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our people, including in areas such as pensions and life assurance, health and wellbeing, generous annual leave, a holiday purchase plan, enhanced sick pay and family-friendly pay. We know our employees want a suitable work-life balance according to their personal circumstances, and we support them to achieve this wherever we can.
We reward success appropriately, and offer discretionary pay awards based on performance, assessing individual performance against our core values and annual and long-term financial and non-financial objectives.
We fully support flexible and family-friendly working practices, including incorporating staff requests for nursery and school drop-off and collection. We also consider career breaks for anybody in the firm for various reasons, including for an employee to undergo a university or college course, childcare or caring responsibilities, undertake a personal project or for the purpose of travel to visit family.
MacRoberts is proud to be home to some of the most talented lawyers in Scotland. Our people play an essential role across our business and are vital to the continuing growth and success of the firm.
We have a number of exciting opportunities available, and we would love to hear from you!
Career OpportunitiesAs we enter the final days of Ramadan, Sarah Rasul reflects on the past month and looks ahead to the upcoming Eid-al-Fitr celebrations.
MacRoberts is proud to have colleagues from a wide range of cultural backgrounds working across the business, and our recent food festival was a great opportunity to bring staff together and learn more about different cultures and culinary traditions around the world.
Following MacRoberts' recent successful Green Week, which took place in April 2021, Katie MacLeod looks at how the firm is embracing its commitment to reducing its environmental impact
In 2016, we were one of the first law firms in Scotland to become accredited Living Wage employers.
Shortlisted for Firm of the Year at the Scottish Legal Awards 2022.
Winners of Corporate & Commercial Team of the Year and Family Law Team of the Year at the Scottish Legal Awards 2020.
Our Real Estate team won the Property Team of the Year Award at the British Legal Awards in 2018.
Winner of SME of the Year at the Scottish SME Awards 2017, hosted by Scottish Business Insider.
Highly Commended for Commercial Team of the Year at the British Legal Awards 2016.
In 2019, MacRoberts achieved Cyber Essentials Plus certification, a UK Government entry-level information security standard.
MacRoberts holds the ISO 9001:2015 certification for Quality Management, the most widely recognised quality management system standard in the world.
MacRoberts holds the ISO14001:2015 certification for Environmental Management, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to environmental awareness.
MacRoberts holds the ISO27001:2013 certification for Information Security, an internationally recognised security gold standard.
Business continuity is a critical element of the Business Management System at MacRoberts and we hold full accreditation with the ISO 22301:2019.
MacRoberts is a member of IP Inclusive, a network of intellectual property professionals working to make our community more equal, diverse and inclusive.
We are active members of the PRIME Programme – an organisation that focuses on ensuring a career in law is open to talent from all economic and social backgrounds.
MacRoberts supports the Scottish Business Pledge, a values-led partnership between Government and business that is based on boosting productivity and competitiveness through fairness, equality and sustainable employment.
We are supporters of the Partnership for Change, a network of organisations and individuals who share a common ambition to improve diversity on boards and in senior leadership.
We are a member of the Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (ENEI), a UK-based not-for-profit organisation which helps employers build and maintain diverse teams and inclusive cultures through our membership, training, and consultancy services.
MacRoberts was awarded enei's Silver TIDEMark for 2023. TIDE is enei's self-assessment evaluation and benchmarking tool which measures an organisation's overall approach and progress on diversity and inclusion.
MacRoberts is a Disability Confident employer, and are committed to disability equality across our firm.
MacRoberts fully supports flexible working practices and supports family-friendly working practices.
In 2022, MacRoberts received a Bronze Award in Stonewall's Workplace Equality Index for our commitment to LGBTQI+ inclusivity in the workplace.
MacRoberts is a longstanding member of Scotland Food & Drink, the leading trade association for Scotland's food and drink industry.
MacRoberts is an Associate Member of SELECT, Scotland's largest construction trade association.