The sky is truly the limit at Inverness-based Solicitors and Estate Agents, Innes & Mackay
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A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY…
Innes & Mackay is an Inverness-based Solicitors and Estate Agents, who have a passion for people.
Around 1850 to 1860 Charles Innes and Mr Fraser-Mackintosh went into practice together, forming a firm called Fraser-Mackintosh and Innes.
After the death of Mr Fraser-Mackintosh, Mr Innes took over the practice and brought in a new partner named William Mackay.
Mr Mackay had started out as an apprentice at the firm and – in 1874, Innes & Mackay was established.
At this time many of the Highland estates were being converted into prosperous shoots or deer forests with newly-built lodges to accommodate the rich and fashionable from the south.
The newly-established firm of Innes & Mackay were well equipped to handle a large volume of this letting and sale business.
At one point in time you could walk from the west to the east coast of Scotland over estates factored by Innes & MacKay; some of them extensive, including Lovat, Chisholm, Grant and Farr.
Innes & MacKay was initially run as a family business and there have been four successive generations of the MacKay family working within the firm; William (senior) his son William (junior), grandson Rory and great-grandson Angus.
TODAY
The firm is still going strong today due to their loyal staff and clients.
There have been many families who have had generations working for the firm, and the story of an apprentice becoming a partner is not a one-time occurrence.
Executive Magazine had a chance to talk with Innes & Mackays’ practice manager Kerry Goddard, and director of property law/conveyancing Laura Cormack.
They told us about the ethos of their business, what makes them stand out from the crowd and why you don’t have to be university educated to work in law.
Speaking about how they help clients in the region and further afield, Kerry said:
“We like to take the stress away from clients and help them during various events in their lives.
“This is why our moto is ‘with you all the way’.
“We have families that now have their third and fourth generations, instructing Innes & Mackay to deal with their affairs.
“It’s all about helping people – whether that’s negotiating a good price for their property, giving first-time buyers their set of keys or working with people through bereavements.”
Laura added: “We strive to make legal jargon easy to understand.”
With a client base that not only covers the Highlands and Islands, the team at Innes & Mackay have also been able to widen their client net outwith Scotland as video calling has become prominent in a post-Covid world.
“We’ve actually been able to help more people given that we are now carrying out appointments via video call”, said Laura.
“In one morning I can have meetings with clients who are in Skye, the USA and England.
“It’s more convenient for clients online and is a more efficient way of working.
“The majority of court appearances now call via Webex, which means we can also assist clients across the whole of Scotland in family law matters being dealt with in any Scottish court.”
THE TEAM
Part of the reason that Innes & Mackay feel like they stand out from the crowd is due to their down to earth team.
Many who go to work at Innes & Mackay end up staying there for a long time.
“We have many employees who have been with us for over 10, 20 and 30 years and we have generations of families who have worked for us,” said Kerry.
“Our former cashier, Lorraine, was with us for 40 years and her daughter Claire, has now been working within our Estate Agency Department for a year.
“We like to keep everything as local as possible and provide flexibility.”
Laura joked: “We are just normal people!
“We have an open-door policy and we are just one big team. All our departments communicate and mix well together.
“The work is very rewarding.
“We like to have a laugh around the office, and eat lots of chocolate, hot rolls and cakes to break up what can be a very busy, tiring day.”
NURTURING TALENT
Innes & Mackay are also keen on nurturing and supporting their team to be the best they can be.
They want to promote the fact that you don’t have to have a university education to become a solicitor or have a career in law and there are lots of different routes into the profession.
Laura herself, started at the practice as an office assistant without any qualifications.
Twelve years later she is now one of the directors of the practice.
Speaking about her progression at Innes & Mackay, Laura, said: “I came to the firm 12 years ago with no qualifications working as an assistant to my co-director Ewan.
“There’s nothing to stop anyone else doing that.
“I worked full time for Ewan while studying at home and sitting my Law Society exams.
“We try to encourage our staff to obtain qualifications to assist with their role within the firm.
“We like to nurture and develop people from the ground up.”
All someone needs to have is dedication and ambition and they will be helped along the way.
“We have a strong commitment to team development”, Kerry said.
“We are open to anyone approaching us and being vocal from the outset about what they want to achieve.
“The sky is truly the limit in this firm.”
MEET THE TEAM
The team at Innes & Mackay have all taken different paths into a career in law. Some have taken the traditional route to becoming a solicitor, while others have come in and been put through their training by Innes & Mackay.
Here are a few of their stories:
Ewan Donald – Director property law/conveyancing
Ewan joined Innes & Mackay in 1989. He studied in Aberdeen and Glasgow, obtained his Bachelor of Law at Aberdeen University, and now specialises in property and conveyancing.
He then completed is statutory two-year traineeship with the firm and has remained within the firm for the past 33 years, much like the founder William MacKay.
Jane Young – Director family and child law
Jane studied Law at Aberdeen University and qualified as a solicitor in 1989. Since joining Innes & Mackay in 1991, Jane has specialised in child and family law. She is accredited as a specialist in family law by the Law Society of Scotland, and is a member of the Family Law Association. Jane is also a qualified collaborative lawyer. And she is POD leader for the Highland branch of collaborative lawyers in Scotland.
Laura Cormack – Director
Born in Inverness, Laura worked at a law firm in Ayr for a number of years before joining Innes & Mackay as secretary to Ewan Donald in 2010. Laura worked her way up from being a secretary, qualifying as a paralegal and sitting her examinations for the Law Society of Scotland before qualifying as a solicitor in 2020. Just over a decade after she first joined Innes & Mackay, Laura was appointed a director in 2021.
Yve Roberston – Solicitor
Yve joined Innes & Mackay as a trainee solicitor in 2017, following her studies at the University of Strathclyde. After first working in the conveyancing, private client and family law departments, she qualified as a solicitor in June 2019 and now works within the family law team. She advises on all family and child law matters, enjoying the varied caseload the role brings.
Eve Cooper – Trainee solicitor
After obtaining a Master of Arts in History at the University of Aberdeen, Eve joined Innes and Mackay in October 2016 as a trainee solicitor. She too worked full time within the private client department while studying at home and sitting her Law Society exams. Eve recently completed her diploma and is now in the first year of her statutory two-year traineeship. Eve deals with all aspects of wills, powers of attorney, guardianships and executries. She is proactive in promoting the development of the young workforce and is often found out in the community offering talks and presentations to various groups. She regularly visits local schools to provide talks and interactive workshops, and was elected as the Highland regional representative for the Scottish School Mock Court Case Project in 2019.
Tracy Donaldson – Property manager
Tracy joined Innes & Mackay’s estate agency department in 2004. She now manages the running of the department and is passionate about providing a high-quality service to all her clients, taking them through the sale process and achieving the best price possible. She understands that moving home can be a stressful time and aims to make the process simple and stress free.
Lauren MacBeath – Property sales negotiator
Lauren joined Innes & Mackay in 2016 as a property assistant in the estate agency department so has much experience of arranging viewings, obtaining feedback, dealing with property-related inquiries and advertising the properties online.
During her time as a property assistant Lauren showed a keen interest in becoming an estate agent. As ever, the firm were keen to nurture and develop her talent and in 2020 Lauren started assisting her own clients during the selling process.
Kirsty Robertson – Cashier
Kirsty Robertson joined the cashroom at Innes & Mackay in 2018 as a fully-qualified SOLAS member, having previously worked in other solicitor firms for a number of years. Kirsty obtained a paralegal qualification in 2020 in debt recovery. Kirsty enjoys the wide variety of work involved in working in the cashroom – no day is completely the same.
Claire MacLeod – Property assistant
Claire is our property assistant and is the first point of contact in our estate agency department. She joined Innes & Mackay in 2021, following the footsteps of her mother Lorraine who was with the firm for 40 years before she retired. She ably assists the award-winning property experts Tracy and Lauren with daily tasks and administrative duties, along with booking property viewings, dealing with inquiries, and advertising properties online.
Louise Muszynski – Paralegal
After obtaining a Master of Arts in French and Spanish Translation and Linguistics at Heriot Watt University, Louise joined Innes & Mackay in 2019 as a legal secretary in the firm’s private client department. After gaining experience, Louise became a qualified paralegal in 2021 and continues to assist clients with wills and executries, and powers of attorney.
Amy MacLeod – Trainee solicitor
Born and brought up on the Isle of Lewis, Amy worked in a law firm on the island for several years before moving to Inverness and starting as a trainee solicitor with Innes & Mackay in 2022. She is currently working full time within the family law department while studying at home for her Law Society examinations.
INNES & MACKAY SERVICES
ESTATE AGENCY
- Valuing the property
- Advertising the property
- Negotiating the sale
CONVEYANCING
- Buying property in Scotland
- Selling property in Scotland
- Remortgaging property in Scotland
FAMILY LAW
- Parental rights and responsibilities
- Grandparents’ rights
- Cohabiting couples in Scotland
- Relocation of children
- Legal Issues for fathers
WILLS
- Helping make a will
- Dealing with estates
- What to do when there is no will
- How your will works in Scotland
POWER OF ATTORNEY
- Financial power of attorney
- Health and welfare power of attorney
- Guardianship
