Shepherd and Wedderburn

Shepherd and Wedderburn is a people business. Throughout our 250-year history, our progress and success, and most importantly that of our clients, has been driven by the quality of our people and the service they provide. The firm has attracted lawyers who have pioneered changes to the law, advised on landmark projects that have transformed key sectors of the economy, and made positive, tangible contributions to public policy and wider society. 

Shepherd and Wedderburn has grown to become the largest Scottish-headquartered UK law firm thanks to our continued commitment to attracting talented lawyers and professional support colleagues from a wide variety of backgrounds. The firm prides itself on being a genuinely meritocratic organisation that offers equality of opportunity for all, regardless of background. We are committed to fostering an inclusive culture because our clients, colleagues and business are best served by a diverse workforce, with the multiplicity of experiences, ideas and perspectives this brings. 

Just as we are harnessing technology to support clients in achieving their business objectives and to enhance the quality, speed and efficiency of our legal services, we are also using it to support our colleagues’ professional objectives and to help them balance their work and personal commitments. Our ultimate aim is to attract and retain the brightest talent, and to make Shepherd and Wedderburn the firm of choice for lawyers and non-lawyers at every stage of their career. 

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s 480-strong workforce comprises solicitors; accountants; marketing, IT and HR specialists; and other business support professionals. We recognise that our future success lies in ensuring our culture is one that all colleagues in all disciplines want to be part of; where they feel welcomed and supported; where they can challenge and be challenged and where they are given the best platform to develop to their full potential. 

Earlier this year, we became the first Scottish law firm to appoint a Head of Diversity, Development and Inclusion. The appointment of Yvonne Brady, one of our most senior partners, in this role underscores our commitment to a broad range of diversity and inclusion projects and the desire of our Board and senior leadership team to continue to build on our achievements to date. 

Our diversity and inclusion projects are led by our five focus groups (gender; race, faith and belief; healthy working lives; LGBTIA and social mobility), which comprise colleagues from across our business. The firm’s leadership team is actively involved in supporting and promoting the work of the focus groups and raising the profile of our projects not just internally but also externally with our clients, and the wider legal profession and business community. By collaborating and working in partnership with those who share our values and ambitions, we can share common experiences, develop best practice and maximise the impact of our efforts. 

In 2019, Shepherd and Wedderburn was the only Scottish-headquartered law firm to be ranked in the inaugural list of the UK’s top 25 legal employers for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff published by Stonewall and the InterLaw Diversity Forum. 

In addition, the firm has achieved Gold-level accreditation as an Investor in People, Investor in Young People and for its Healthy Working Lives programme, and has implemented an agile/flexible working policy to give colleagues greater control over their working days, enabling them to better balance personal and work responsibilities. This has also allowed us to work more effectively on site with our clients, integrating with their teamwork patterns and processes. 

Shepherd and Wedderburn is a Living Wage Employer and is a founding member of PRIME, a pioneering initiative involving the UK’s leading law firms to encourage social mobility by offering quality work experience and mentoring to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The firm provides 12-14 work experience placements each year to young people aged 13-17 to give them an insight into the range of careers available in the legal sector and the potential routes of entry. This programme involves all our UK offices (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and London).