Tribute has been paid to retired North East Fife solicitor Douglas Williams, who died on March 26, aged 67.
Mr Williams, a much respected and well-known figure in Fife legal circles, was popular with colleagues at Cupar Sheriff Court and led a spirited campaign to oppose the controversial closure of the court in 2014.
A pupil of Loretto School from 1968-73, he studied geography and geology at Cambridge University before graduating in law from Aberdeen University in 1979.
Army commission
A rugby player in his younger years, after graduation he was commissioned into the Army Legal Corps as captain.
His role included prosecuting Court Martials throughout the south-east of England.
He was involved in a number of significant cases including fraud, assault and alleged bullying of recruits.
He was seconded to 3 Cdo Bde Royal Marines and served in Norway.
In May 1986, he became a partner in Baird & Company.
As the partner in charge of the Cupar office, he handled all aspects of a busy rural practice with particular emphasis on criminal and civil advocacy.
He made regular appearances in Cupar, Dundee, Perth and Kirkcaldy sheriff courts.
At Cupar in particular, he always had time for a chat with young Courier and other local newspaper reporters.
He developed significant expertise in Road Traffic Law.
Establishing own firm
In 2011 he established his own legal firm of WilliamsGrayWilliams in Cupar.
This rural law practice specialised in advocacy in the criminal and civil courts and other tribunals.
He was involved in cases of rural agriculture and business law, commercial and residential conveyancing , private client wills and executries.
Over the years, Mr Williams represented clients in a number of significant high profile cases including speeding, drink driving and dangerous driving.
He was instructed in High Court cases to include rape, assault and robbery as well as death by dangerous driving.
He was a former dean of the Eastern District of Procurators and served as legal chairman to the Pensions Appeal Tribunal for Scotland for many years.
Anger at court closure
In 2015, a year after the closure of Cupar Sheriff Court, Mr Williams said residents of North East Fife were being done a “gross disservice” with those arrested being held overnight in cells as distant as Greenock and clients frequently missing trials in Dundee.
He told The Courier that in spite of “Herculean efforts”, his clients often missed trials in Dundee because of logistical issues with public transport.
He claimed the Scottish Court Service and ministers had largely ignored the problem of travel times and added that trials were being delayed because of the strain on the system.
Predictions that the court’s closure would affect the local economy were also becoming a reality, Mr Williams said, as law firms in the area saw their business “diluted”.
Proud of son
On a lighter note, when his son Brodie, a former Courier food blogger, made the semi-finals of MasterChef in 2017, his progress became a talking point when his father attended court every morning after the show.
Mr Williams is survived by his wife Sue and sons Dougal and Brodie.
A memorial service was held at Balass House, Cupar, on April 15.
