Q&A with Aileen Paterson, Landrights Manager

Aileen Paterson is one of CLM’s most experienced and capable managers. Our clients appreciate her knowledge of the landrights sector and many of our junior team members enjoy her mentorship.

How did your career start out?

“I worked for solicitors from age 17, so that was straight from school. I worked in various firms gaining knowledge and experience in different areas of law and I found the work interesting. With each area of law I took the opportunity to work to my way up to become a paralegal, successfully gaining certification in various areas, including Conveyancing and Debt Recovery.

“I then joined Scottish Power where I worked closely with one of its in-house solicitors to set up a department for debt recovery.  It was a niche area at the time as Scottish Power had never really taken the legal route before to recover outstanding bills. As part of that role, I had responsibility for training and leading teams – something which I still very much enjoy.”

You were immersed in the energy sector from quite early on in your career then. Where would you say you developed your knowledge of the landrights sector in particular?

“That really developed for me when I was at Energetics. I was there for 13 years and with my prior knowledge of the legal sector and understanding of landrights, my focus was on establishing an in-house service to replace the existing outsourced provision. I developed the processes and team and continued to develop the department until I left to join CLM.”

When did you join CLM?

“During my time at Energetics, the Company rebranded as Last Mile and acquired UKPS. And as part of the Last Mile Group, UKPS was already working with CLM so that’s where the introduction took place. CLM’s team dealt with the English work and my team and I dealt with Scottish contracts.  I worked in conjunction with Laura and her team for a couple of years before I was tempted across and given the opportunity to apply my knowledge to help develop CLM’s offering.”

What have your key responsibilities been since you joined CLM?

“I have a keen eye for a good process! Businesses can’t grow properly without the right systems in place, so I’ve spent a fair amount of time looking at areas for improvement and bringing about consistency.”

That sounds like a sensible plan, what impact has it had on the team?

“A really good one from what I can see. Team members can now confidently pick up enquiries and jobs which they might not necessarily have any knowledge of, but because clear systems are now in place, they can manage enquiries for different clients which has made for more efficient working all round.”

Looking to the wider industry, how do you think the landscape is changing for CLM?

“I think there’s a shift in the nature of the work we’re receiving. It’s becoming more varied which means continued development for our team members and an increase in the services we can offer, which is great for the Company.  ICPs are evolving how they operate and have different expectations for what CLM could deliver. It’s a good change though and shows how ICPs are understanding more about the value we can bring.”