WHAT links the Wee County to Cameron Diaz, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tiger Woods?
They have all worked with a high flying legal expert who lives right in the heart of the Wee County.  

 

For almost seven years solicitor advocate Simon Smith – regarded as one of the best libel lawyers in the UK – has commuted to London from his Tillicoultry home working with a client list that reads like a who’s who of Hollywood.

But despite climbing to the top of London’s legal tree, the dad-of-three, whose children Calum, Nadia and Hayley attend school and nursery in Dollar, has boldly decided to go it alone – an unprecedented move in his profession – in hope of spending more time with his young family in the Hillfoots.

 

Working for one of the UK’s leading law firms, Hartlepool born Simon, an Oxford University graduate, specialised in high-profile libel and privacy cases, and built a formidable reputation by winning sizeable damages for “A-listers” including Teri Hatcher, Justin Timberlake, Nicolas Cage and Keira Knightly.

 

The 40-year-old former Westminster school pupil hopes the strength of that reputation developed over 15 years in the English capital will help him bring “a little Hollywood to Tillicoultry”.

 

Simon, whose BAFTA winning television producer wife Jacquie is from Falkirk, told the Wee County News: “I’d like to think of myself as a pioneer. It shows you can try and be top of your sector without compromising your life at home. It shows you don’t have to live in London, Edinburgh or Glasgow. It doesn’t have to be that way.

 

“But this is unheard of. No one does this which means it’s either insanity or genius. To leave a big company like that, and start up on your own and expect to do the same level of business, well no one’s done it.”   

 

Assisted by former Alva Academy pupils Nicole and Lynn Severs, Simon has already begun working from an unassuming office on Tillicoultry’s High Street. But while it may not look like much now, he has all he needs to protect some of the biggest names and reputations in show business.  

 

Simon continued: “I’ve got my laptop, my mobile and my Blackberry, and frankly it’s as powerful as anything in London.

 

“With advances in IT it doesn’t matter where I am. I could get a call to stop the News of the World on a Friday or Saturday night, and the clients we’re dealing with don’t care where I am, as long as they get the injunction there and then.”

 

While Simon’s dealings with celebrity clients tend to grab the headlines, he also represents big businesses and hopes to harness some of Scotland’s potential in that area. He hasn’t ruled out expansion either, and may take on lawyers to be based permanently in Scotland and London in the future.

 

Simon is taking a step into the unknown with his latest venture, but is confident he has the ability to make it work.

 

He added: “I feel I’ve got the energy to do it, and I have to have the energy to do it. I don’t know if it will work, but I’ll give it my best shot, and I think it will.”

 

For more information on the services offered by Simon Smith, email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it