Edinburgh University law student, Felix Main, has been named as the third recipient of the Kirk Murdoch Scholarship, which was set up in memory of the highly respected lawyer.

The scholarship provides financial support, professional mentoring, a place in leading legal firm Pinsent Masons’ summer vacation programme, and could lead to a traineeship.

The scholarship was launched in 2018 in memory of Kirk, who was at the time of his death the Chair of Scotland and Northern Ireland for Pinsent Masons, and who in his professional and personal life placed a high value on helping others.

Previous recipients of the Kirk Murdoch Scholarship are University of Dundee law student Emilia Gordon and University of Edinburgh undergraduate Demi Scorfield. Felix is a third year student at Edinburgh and is a former pupil of Forres Academy and the Rudolf Steiner School in Moray.

The scholarship is supported by The Lawscot Foundation, a charity established by the Law Society of Scotland to help talented students from less advantaged backgrounds to access a career in law.

Katharine Hardie, Chair of Pinsent Masons in Scotland and Northern Ireland, said: “Emilia and Demi are making steady progress as they make their way towards a career in law with the assistance of the Kirk Murdoch Scholarship, and Felix will no doubt warmly embrace this chance to follow their lead.

“As a colleague and a friend, I knew Kirk to be a lawyer and a business leader who strongly believed in encouraging and supporting those around him. He would be very pleased that a scholarship in his memory was playing an important role in making a career in the law more accessible to young people from different backgrounds.”

Felix, 20, said: “I’m aware of how great an opportunity this is and I’m honoured to be accepted for the scholarship. The mentoring I have already received from Pinsent Masons, and the support I will benefit from in my final years at university is very welcome, and I am determined to make the most of what is an excellent opportunity to gain summer work experience, and to hopefully secure a traineeship.”