Sole practitioner and high street conference: what unites us

Martha is the Partner responsible for the Kilmarnock branch covering all property matters including house sales and purchases, commercial property transactions, re-mortgages, security work, and also Wills, Powers of Attorney, and executries. She works closely with our Estate Agency for clients who combine their marketing and conveyancing with McSherry Halliday. In addition, Martha is the firm's Money Laundering Partner. Outwith the office, Martha is the Continuing Professional Development Convener for the local Faculty of Solicitors, responsible for providing local Solicitors with training seminars to ensure they are updated with the latest developments in law. She is also a member of Kilmarnock Business Association.

Katie is the Law Society’s Head of Admissions, working in the Education, Training and Qualifications team. Katie is responsible for the regulatory requirements surrounding traineeships primarily ensuring that all of those who become solicitors are fit and proper to do so.   Recently she has been working on the new Admission Regulations which will mean that trainees can apply for Admission after three months of training. She operates a helpline for both trainees and their employers and is Secretary to the Admissions Sub Committee.

Chetna is a certified executive coach, part time in-house employment lawyer and speaker. As Co-founder and CEO of Being Lawyers, Chetna has collaborated with The Law Society of England and Wales to hold wellbeing conferences and has spoken at events including the Junior Lawyers Division annual conference, Women Economic Forum and Health and Wellbeing at Work.

Chetna is passionate about human potential and has been working with organisations and professionals since 2013 to access elevated levels of wellbeing, performance and leadership. She trains and coaches lawyers on a new understanding of the mind to help them increase their mental clarity so that they can fulfill their potential without compromising their wellbeing.

After graduating in 1996, Darren trained as a Chartered Accountant within a medium sized practice and joined Gerber Landa & Gee as Portfolio Manager in 2003. He was appointed a Director in April 2018 as a result of a management buyout. Darren manages a wide portfolio of clients covering sole traders, partnerships and limited companies in various sectors, including professional services, property and media, and has significant experience in the legal, financial services and health sectors.

In addition to accounting and audit services, Darren has particular knowledge of company formations, company sales, restructuring and business consultancy, including the provision of advisory services at company board meetings.
Darren is a Registered Auditor and is the Audit Compliance Principal for the firm.

Calum joined Gerber Landa & Gee in 2009 following completion of a law degree at Glasgow University. He is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser who has worked with a number of solicitors firms providing advice on accounts, accounts certificates and Partnership disputes. He also works supporting solicitors with advice in relation to inheritance tax, income tax and capital gains tax for Executries. He has experience across a number of other areas as a general practitioner including audit, charity accounts and outsourced finance services. Calum became a Director of Gerber Landa & Gee following a management buy out in April 2018.

Paul McCluskey is Managing Director of Gemstone Legal which helps law firms to maximise income whilst reducing risk.  Former UK Head of Professional Practices at Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Bank, Paul has worked with law firms of various size and complexity across the UK and Northern Ireland.  Having seen banks shift away from dedicated legal sector relationship management models Paul decided to set up Gemstone Legal to offer firms an independent approach to finance and risk management.  Paul speaks and writes regularly on financial factors impacting the UK legal sector.

Morna Grandison BSC Tep’s primary role at the Law Society of Scotland is to take on Judicial Factory appointments made by the Court of Session. Working in the area of complex fraud investigation Morna represents the Society on a number of forums, identifying fraud trends and threats and problem solving ways to combat issues arising from the latest threat landscape.

Morna Grandison BSC Tep’s primary role at the Law Society of Scotland is to take on Judicial Factory appointments made by the Court of Session. Working in the area of complex fraud investigation Morna represents the Society on a number of forums, identifying fraud trends and threats and problem solving ways to combat issues arising from the latest threat landscape.

Chris joined Moore Legal Technology as Director in 2013 following specialist in-house law firm marketing and business development roles.

Chris’s primary focus is to build awareness of Moore Legal Technology’s unique capabilities among prospective clients and develop long term relationships with current clients by continuing to add value to their businesses.

Alex White is an AML Auditor at the Law Society of Scotland and specialises in trust and company service provision (TCSP) work. Prior to this role, he worked for nine years as compliance officer, money laundering reporting officer and executive director for a trust and corporate service provider based in the Channel Islands. Alex assumed his role in July 2018 and, amongst his other duties, has devised and implemented a Thematic Review focusing on TCSP work by the legal profession; the final report to be published at the end of the year. He is a professional member of both the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners and the International Compliance Association.