Solicitor praises tribute to former lawyer after forgetting his gown

A solicitor has shared a touching tribute to a departed lawyer after forgetting his gown for a court case.

Gregor Kelly, 53, who is a solicitor at Lefevre Litigation in Aberdeen, was travelling to a court case in Kilmarnock on Tuesday when he realised he had forgotten the item of clothing.

When he arrived at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court he was pointed in the direction of ‘Wendy’s locker’ – a locker filled with a pens, paper, and a spare gown which has been left as a tribute to the departed lawyer Wendy Templeton, who would often forget her supplies.

The locker had a picture of the deceased solicitor on the outside, and underneath read “In this locker you will find one spare gown and a selection of pens and paper.”

“Kilmarnock faculty of solicitors are happy for you to use these if you have forgotten your own, but please return them before you leave the building.

“These items are provided in memory of our much-loved colleague and friend Wendy Templeton, who practiced in this court for 30 years from 1986 to 2016 and who often forgot her pens, her paper and her file!

“We have kept this locker free to remind us of her kindness and willingness to help others at any time.

“She will always be missed and never forgotten.”

Mr Kelly said he was “touched” by the gesture, and that it has inspired him to go out of his way to help visitors in his own court.

He said: “Yesterday I was travelling down for a court case in Kilmarnock and was aware I’d lost or forgotten my gown.

“I’ve not been travelling as much due to the pandemic, so I was already apprehensive about my court appearance, so to find out my gown was missing just made it worse.

“A local solicitor told me a spare gown could be found in this locker, and that’s when I saw Wendy’s locker.

“Inside was a spare gown, pens, and plenty of paper along with the tribute on the outside.

“I was really touched when I saw it.

“It’s a really kind gesture and was just a random act of kindness that really moved me.

“When we have visitors to our court in Aberdeen, we already try to make people feel welcome, but now I will go out of my way to help visitors.”