WHEN he passed away last year Pinsent Masons lawyer Kirk Murdoch was remembered by colleagues as a man who led by example and went out of his way to help others achieve their aspirations.

The firm’s senior partner Richard Foley said at the time that Mr Murdoch had “had an incredibly positive influence in shaping the careers of so many” while then Law Society of Scotland president Eilidh Wiseman, herself a Pinsent Masons alumna, noted that she had “learned a great deal from his style of inclusive leadership”.

Now, the firm has taken steps to ensure his influence can continue to be felt by setting up a scholarship fund in his name.

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The Kirk Murdoch Memorial Fund, which could eventually lead to a traineeship at Pinsent Masons, has been established to run alongside the Law Society’s Lawscot Foundation - a charity dedicated to providing financial support for eight law students from underprivileged backgrounds each year.

Richard Masters, who succeeded Mr Murdoch as chair of Pinsent Masons’ Scotland and Northern Ireland business, said it was seen within the firm as a fitting way to honour Mr Murdoch’s memory.

“Kirk constantly challenged people to make the most of their potential and one of his many strengths was to encourage people to be the best they could be and to be brave in taking decisions,” Mr Masters said.

“With this package of financial assistance, and just as importantly ongoing support and guidance, we hope in time to see Kirk Murdoch scholars enter the legal profession who, quite frankly, would otherwise be denied that opportunity.”

Like the Lawscot Foundation, the Kirk Murdoch Memorial Fund will offer recipients financial assistance and mentoring as they complete their law degree.

In addition, all students receiving Lawscot Foundation support, including the recipient of the Kirk Murdoch Memorial Fund bursary, will be able to apply for a separate scholarship at the end of their second year of study.

The recipient of that award will be offered paid summer placements at Pinsent Masons and, when they complete their degree, the chance of a traineeship at the firm.

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Lawscot Foundation chair Christine McLintock, who is a former Pinsent Masons partner, said the bursary and scholarship represent a “generous long-term commitment” from the firm that would make a significant difference to the way the foundation supports student lawyers.

“The students in our first intake are a remarkable group of people who have already faced incredible challenges in their young lives,” she said.

“This substantial contribution by Pinsent Masons will allow us to support an additional student each year and, as a former colleague of Kirk’s, I can think of no more fitting tribute to his character and willingness to help others, and I know he would wholeheartedly approve.”

Launched in 2016 and funded by the profession, the foundation has so far supported eight students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds during their first year at university. All eight were the first in their family to go to university and most have either spent time in care, been homeless or acted as young carers.

With the first cohort preparing to begin the second year of their degree, the foundation is in the process of selecting the second cohort - which will now number nine people - from 60 applicants.

The aim of the foundation is to help remove some of the barriers that prevent people from low-income and non-legal backgrounds to enter the profession.

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Mr Murdoch, who died last March after a period of illness, was a well-known figure in the Scottish legal profession, having been both managing partner and senior partner of McGrigors - one of Scotland’s erstwhile big-four law firms.

He played a significant role in securing Pinsent Masons’ takeover of McGrigors in 2012 and went on to serve as chair of the firm’s Scottish and Northern Irish practices.

The Pinsent Masons deal was the first significant takeover of a Scottish practice by an international firm. Fellow big four firms Dundas & Wilson and Maclay Murray & Spens later followed suit, with the former now part of CMS and the latter part of Dentons.