Homes Mackillop director Craig Donnelly (pictured above) hopes that his appointment as Vice-Dean of the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow will shine a light on the pre-Diploma route to legal qualification.

Unlike most solicitors who follow the traditional path of obtaining a university law degree, Donnelly completed a three-year pre-Diploma training contract with a firm of solicitors while independently studying for and passing the Law Society of Scotland’s exams.

He said: “Balancing full-time work with self-study was challenging, and I spent much of that time preparing in the Faculty’s library, so I have a particular affection for and connection with the building and institution.”

After completing the training contract and exams, Donnelly undertook the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice at the University of Glasgow, followed by the standard two-year traineeship.

He said: “As the ‘pre-Diploma’ route remains a little-known but important path to qualification, during my term as Vice-Dean, I hope to raise awareness of this alternative route, which can offer opportunities to those for whom university isn’t a viable option or, for those like me, who come to the legal profession later in life.”

Prior to qualification, Donnelly worked in litigation at HMRC before moving into private practice as a paralegal then beginning his training contract and studies.

His appointment as Vice-Dean alongside the appointment of former Vice-Dean John Bett of Lindsays Solicitors as Dean, is for a two-year term.

Incorporated prior to 1668, the RFPG is one of the oldest professional membership bodies in Scotland, serving the needs of the legal profession in Glasgow and the west of Scotland with an extensive legal library and comprehensive professional education programme.