A Tribute to Professor Robert Rennie
I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Robert. He was my mentor through the LawScot Foundation and was deeply respected by everybody who had the privilege of meeting him.
Robert and I met up usually once a month to chat about how life was going at uni and I used to look forward to these meetups with great enthusiasm. The conversations we had were incredibly insightful; we would often share our opinions on current affairs, legal problems, football, and pretty much anything. He had a brilliant sense of humour and was never shy of getting a joke in about how the uni football was going when I would often inform him that we had somehow manged to lose again. He was always willing to provide guidance and advice on a multitude of matters, whether it be academical or personal. One of my fondest memories of Robert was not so long after I had been through a personal matter and he quickly picked up that I wasn’t myself. He quickly jumped into action by detailing the weekend from Hell he had just had where everything had gone wrong and proceeded to tell me that everything will be alright and will work itself out. I’ve never been shy in admitting that sometimes I have doubted my abilities as a student, but Robert’s belief in me was contagious for me. I left every one of our chats with an extra pearl of wisdom to apply and a little bit more sure of myself.
Another fond memory I have of Robert was when he showed me around the office at Harper McLeod LLP. He introduced me to everybody and it quickly became apparent that he was deeply respected by all of his colleagues. It was also obvious that his sense of humour wasn’t lost in the office too, joking and laughing with everybody he came across. He was, of course, an expert in his field and I think many who knew him will agree with me when I say he made most legal concepts and problems exciting — a difficult feat to achieve but not for Robert. Any time we spoke and I presented a problem it was quickly answered, and more often than not, had an interesting story to accompany the explanation.
Robert was instrumental in my development as a law student. He was the very definition of a sage and a mentor; never shy in offering guidance when things went wrong and always quietly happy when you did well. I would like to thank anybody who is associated with or has helped the LawScot Foundation — you gave me the privilege of a lifetime by allowing me to be a mentee to Robert and for that you have my gratitude. I will be thinking of Robert as I go on to complete my undergraduate degree, he has been a huge help to me and I wouldn’t be where I am today without his help.
He was truly a brilliant mentor and friend, I feel so privileged to have known such a remarkable man — I will miss him and our chats very much. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones, may he rest in peace.
Declan Dundas
