News - Article on Lili Hunter
11/12/09
“Have you ever tried patting your head, rubbing your tummy and tap dancing at the same time?” That’s how leading Aberdeen lawyer Lili Hunter reflects on the demands of juggling a career and family life.
A well known face in the Aberdeen legal world, earlier this year Lili unveiled her new city centre-based consultancy – Lili Hunter Consulting Ltd – which offers a solution-focused blend of services to deliver mediation, HR and employment law solutions to businesses of all sizes. More recently she has announced the incorporation of her own law firm – Lili Hunter Legal Ltd.
An experienced, award-winning employment lawyer and trained mediator, Lili also has a degree in psychology and qualifications in HR enabling her to offer an all encompassing service in employment law advice and representation for employers, mediation services and training to cover employment law, and practice and mediation.
After a degree in psychology, Lili returned to further education to take a law degree and whilst working at Ledingham Chalmers in the city she completed a masters degree in employment law all whilst bringing up her now teenage son. A determination to succeed stood her in good stead as she set out to prove her critics wrong with the backing of her mother.
She explained: “I am a pretty determined person with a healthy streak of rebellion and defiance! I was tired of people telling me what was and was not possible due to me being a mum. I don’t like being told what I can and cannot do, and that’s probably why I have ended up running my own businesses. It was inevitable really.”
After completing her third degree, Lili quickly made an impact on the legal scene, winning the Rising Star of the Year Award at the 2004 Scottish Legal Awards and whilst the personal attention the win drew was shrugged off, it did help progress Lili’s career as she soon became an associate at Ledingham Chalmers and later partner in 2006.
This year, however, has seen Lili throw her abundant energy into the launch of her own businesses. Explaining the reasons behind the move, Lili said: “I felt like I had achieved everything there was to achieve in the legal profession and the next bit was digging in for the long haul to retirement! I was a partner and head of my department and I had grown a team over three years as well as developing and introducing a new product, growing new services and work types and I really wanted to continue with this innovation and development.
“The difficulty is that law firms are subject to rigid Law Society rules about how they operate and I felt I could be more experimental and creative heading up my own limited company.
“I think of it as being like having children – there’s never a ‘good time’ to do it. Having my son in the final year of my degree wasn’t exactly good timing either but, in hindsight, it was the best possible time to have him. I think of starting my own business in the same way. Yes, there are obstacles and it is less than ideal timing, but I know it will work out brilliantly because I will not accept any other outcome.
“I have had a difficult and complicated life but I have a strong survival instinct and I think the more life throws at me, the stronger I get and the harder I fight. Tell me I will fail and I will prove you wrong. Tell me it can’t be done and I will find a way to do it. That is how I approach my career, my business and my clients’ problems.”
“As well as having a degree in psychology, I am a trained mediator and an experience trainer. I want to use these skills and disciplines to provide a more holistic service to clients. I have also retained my status as a solicitor during this period and have recently incorporated my own legal firm – Lili Hunter Legal Ltd – which will allow me to employ other lawyers in future.”
Lili is acutely aware of the challenging economic environment in which she has launched Lili Hunter Consulting Ltd. and Lili Hunter Legal Ltd, but these challenges coupled with extraordinary personal circumstances only serve to fuel her determination to succeed. She has also just enrolled at Aberdeen University to complete a post graduate certificate in Coaching to further expand her capabilities.
And the unique mix offered is proving to be a success – in a bid to meet the demands of her rapidly-expanding business, Lili is due to relocate within Aberdeen city centre at the turn of the year and has just appointed Louise Spark to the role of Associate Employment Lawyer for the legal business and Operations Manager for the consultancy.
Louise is a graduate of Law with options in Economics from the University of Aberdeen, and has a Masters Degree in Employment Law & Practice from the Robert Gordon University. Last year she took time out to travel, primarily in South America, where she gained a diverse range of experience, including learning Spanish in Argentina and teaching English to children in Bolivia.
Commenting on the appointment, Lili Hunter said: “Louise and I have worked closely together before and both have a passion for adventure, so I am delighted that we are working together again.
“We share a practical, commonsense approach to employment law and we look forward to the challenges that lie ahead as the business continues to go from strength to strength.”
And finally, Lili’s advice to anyone else thinking of starting their own business? “Don’t do anything half-heartedly and don’t listen to those who say you can’t do it.”