The Scottish Legal Awards 2019 - the winners!

Congratulations to all who took part in the Scottish Legal Awards 2019, proudly sponsored by Eclipse. The event took place on the 21st March at the Hilton Hotel, Glasgow.

The prestigious awards which bring the best and brightest in the Scottish legal profession together celebrate and reward outstanding contributions being made by solicitors, teams and organisations across Scotland.

The glittering ceremony which saw hundreds in attendance was hosted by comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli.

The Legal Technology Award was presented to the winners DWF by John Keane (pictured), Sales Consultant at Eclipse.

 The full list of winners as chosen by a panel of high profile judges can be seen below:


Firm of the year
Digby Brown Solicitors

Lawyer of the Year
Jill Sinclair, DWF

In-House Lawyer of the Year (Public sector)
Maree Allison, Scottish Social Services Council

In-House Lawyer of the Year (Commercial)
Kenny Robertson, Royal Bank of Scotland

Commercial Property Team of the Year
CMS

Community Contribution Awards
Digby Brown Solicitors
Scullion LAW

Corporate and Commercial Team of the Year
Shepherd and Wedderburn

Criminal Defence Firm of the Year
Livingstone Brown

Employment Team of the Year
Blackadders

Family Law Team of the Year
Livingstone Brown

Commercial In-House Legal Team of the Year
Royal Bank of Scotland

Public Sector In-House Legal Team of the Year
The City of Edinburgh Council – Legal Services Division

Legal Technology Award
DWF

Litigation Team of the Year
Allan McDougall Solicitors

Paralegal of the Year
Fiona Anderson, MacPhee and Partners

Residential Property Team of the Year
Coulters

Rising Star of the Year
Jamie Apted, MBM Commercial

Support Team of the Year
ESPC

Managing Partner of the Year
Johnston Clark, Blackadders

Lifetime Achievement Award
Professor Lorne Crerar

Eclipse strengthens position in Scottish legal sector with the launch of a regional hub

Eclipse Legal Systems, the UK’s leading case and practice management software provider, has responded to the increased demand for its Proclaim solution within the Scottish legal sector with the launch of a dedicated Edinburgh office and region-specific sales and innovation teams.

Eclipse’s in-house subject matter experts, which include The Society of Law Accountants in Scotland (SOLAS) qualified consultants, have enabled Proclaim to be tailored for use specifically in Scotland. The growing number of law firms in Scotland replacing their incumbent systems with Proclaim includes heavyweights Drummond Miller and property specialists DJ Alexander.

The Proclaim practice management and Scotland specific accounting platform provides a fully integrated system, equipping senior management with robust reporting facilities and access to live financial data and operational performance. As part of the solution’s core flexibility, law firms are also provided with Proclaim’s configuration toolset, facilitating practices to easily create their own unique system workflows to suit individual business requirements.

Chris Buckle (pictured), sales director at Eclipse, comments:

“Eclipse’s ambitious ongoing growth and innovation strategy has led us to meet the needs of forward-thinking Scottish law firms keen to adopt the best technologies to streamline activities and improve the all-important client experience.

The launch of the Edinburgh hub and our commitment to continuous development of both preconfigured and bespoke Scottish law specific solutions will provide Scottish law firms with more immediate access to an unequalled set of efficiency and productivity tools.”

Eclipse’s new Proclaim MTD toolset officially recognised by HMRC as Making Tax Digital compliant

Law Society endorsed legal software provider, Eclipse Legal Systems, has announced new functionality in its Proclaim Practice Management solution to enable law firms to remain compliant with HMRC Making Tax Digital requirements.

Making Tax Digital is a key part of the Government’s plans to make it easier for individuals and businesses to get their tax right and keep on top of their affairs – meaning the end of the annual tax return for millions. From 1st April 2019 all businesses with a taxable turnover above the VAT threshold will be mandated to use the Making Tax Digital service to keep records digitally and submit their VAT returns using compatible compliant software.

The new Proclaim MTD solution has been rigorously tested by HMRC which has officially recognised the system as being compliant with the Making Tax Digital regulations. The Proclaim MTD toolset is additional functionality to be utilised within the Proclaim Practice Management solution and is immediately available for new and existing Proclaim users.

Tracy Blencowe (pictured), Business Solutions Director at Eclipse, comments:

“The Proclaim MTD functionality is Eclipse’s latest innovation designed to empower law firms to easily remain compliant with the new VAT regulations. This time saving technology is easily utilised with minimal effort required from the user – freeing their time up to concentrate on what really matters to them, delivering a great service to their clients.”

The Eclipse Proclaim Modern Law Conveyancing Awards 2019 – nominations open!

The Eclipse Proclaim Modern Law Conveyancing Awards are taking place on 18th July at The Rum Warehouse, Liverpool.

Eclipse is proud to be headline sponsor of the event, which celebrates conveyancing trailblazers and property pioneers by recognising those taking the lead in innovation; those who have achieved successes as teams or individuals; and those championing client care.

The winners will be chosen by an esteemed panel of judges, who have been carefully selected based upon their knowledge and experience within the industry.

Click here for a full list of the award categories, and to make your nominations before the deadline of Wednesday 5th June, don’t forget you can nominate yourself!