Eagle-eyed legal commentator Alex Aldridge couldn’t help noticing the man in charge of officiating Portugal’s exciting 3-2 victory over Denmark in the group stage of the Euro 2012 football championship was none other than Forth Electrical Services’ in-house counsel Craig Thomson.
Mr Aldrige – swapping his Legal Cheek blog for a sheepskin jacket and a seat in the commentary box – adds that Mr Thomson’s rise to the pinnacle of refereeing follows his decision to jack-in his role as an associate at Edinburgh-based law firm Maclay Murray & Spens for his current position at the Scottish building services provider – where he works two days a week.
He adds that Mr Thomson is the most high-profile among a number of legal referees, including Willie Young, chairman of Scottish law firm Brechin Tindal Oatts – now retired from refereeing – and Berwin Leighton Paisner’s associate/current FA ref – Edward Taylor.