In 1815, cousins Frederick Fothringham and John Lindsay, two 22-year-olds from Forfarshire, set up a law firm at 80 George Street, in Edinburgh. Over two hundred years later, the firm still proudly bears the Lindsay name.
Some of our earliest clients are still with us, including the Lochiel and Argyll estates. We also work for the descendants of Frederick Fothringham. However, our 21st-century landed estate clients are more likely to seek our advice on renewable energy, commercial property or holiday lets than ask us to collect their rents in cash.
Much else has altered over the past 200 years. We’ve grown from two partners to 47 partners and now offer a full range of legal services to businesses, families and individuals. And the pace of change has accelerated since the 1980s. We’ve also evolved from being an Edinburgh firm, to one with sizeable offices in Glasgow and Dundee, and now we have offices in Perth and Crieff as well. We now have clients as far afield as Canada, China, Australia and Ukraine.
But some themes remain constant. Being a good lawyer today involves the same qualities as it did in 1815: taking the trouble to listen to and understand clients, flexibility, approachability and excellent service.
