Craig Veitch

• Career Conversations
• Craig Veitch

Where are you from?

Aberdeen – lived and worked here all my life!

Where you did study/what’s your career background?

I studied at Aberdeen University between 1995 and 2000 for my LLB degree and Diploma in Legal Practice.  I completed a commercial traineeship at a local firm and worked in private practice until 2012 before moving ‘in house’ as a property/legal advisor for an oil services company.  I also worked in local Council’s legal department for a short period.

Why did you apply to RCCW?

After working for around 7 years in-house and for local government, I was keen for a return to private practice, which prompted me to apply for a solicitor’s position in RCCW’s commercial department.

What department(s) do/have you worked across?

I have spent all of my time at RCCW in the firm’s commercial property department, primarily dealing with leases, purchases and sales of industrial units, offices and shop premises.

How would you describe a typical day/your experience at RCCW to date?

 I wouldn’t say any day is ever typical!  A normal day might begin with preparing a ‘to do’ list for my ongoing transactions, but you are always one phone call or e-mail away from requiring to ‘rip up’ the list and deal with an urgent enquiry from a client or colleague.

 What advice would you give to anyone wanting to pursue a career within a law firm?

The early stages of your legal career are extremely challenging – I know this from my own experience.  It is important that during your traineeship that you gain as much experience of the different legal departments within the firm, to allow you to make an informed decision on which area of law you can see yourself specialising in.

What do you like most about working at RCCW?

I like the fact that given the size of the Firm you tend to know who everyone is and what they do.  Colleagues are always very keen to help and support each other – no matter what knocks you ‘off course’ on any day, there is always someone to talk to who has encountered a similar situation.  The Firm also promotes a healthy work/life balance and trust you to work hard at your job for the benefit of the Firm and their clients.