Member Spotlight: Rory Mellis

26 February 2026

Rory is a Senior Solicitor in the Commercial Litigation team at Thorntons Law LLP. He is a New Professional member and sits on the R3 in Scotland committee and the R3 New Professional Steering Group. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in law, and how did you find your way into insolvency and restructuring work?

I decided to pursue a legal career slightly later on, going back to study law at university at 25 having previously picked up a politics degree. I was drawn to the challenging nature of the sector and the possibility of being exposed to varied types of work. Once I started my traineeship at Thorntons I was very lucky to be assigned a mentor in the commercial litigation team with a speciality in insolvency work who is both incredibly knowledgeable and incredibly enthusiastic. I hadn’t given this area much thought before joining her team but I found the work I became involved in from this point on really interesting, and the team around me put a lot of effort into nurturing that interest.

What do you consider to be your most significant professional achievement to date?

I’d say the most rewarding and interesting parts of my professional life so far have been dealing with contentious insolvency matters stemming from the covid years. I started my traineeship at the start of 2021 when we were still going in and out of lockdowns and businesses were navigating their way through an unprecedented environment relying on a hastily assembled system of support. Over the following few years, I’ve had the opportunity of considering whether (now insolvent) companies had handled various types of covid support appropriately and advising the former directors accordingly. It has been fascinating to see the uncertainty that stemmed from policies and guidance that by necessity didn’t perhaps receive the scrutiny they would have in normal times. I think we are past the high point of covid-related controversy now, but it has given me a real appreciation of the risks associated with ambiguous drafting. 

Is there a particular piece of advice you would give someone just beginning their career in insolvency and restructuring law?

I was given plenty of great advice from people at Thorntons as I started my career. One piece that sticks with me is to always remember that your clients are invariably more stressed than you are. As such you should forgive them for sometimes being a little bit demanding. If you can help your clients to be slightly more relaxed in what are often the worst of circumstances, then you’ll have done a decent job. Beyond that, I would say the best advice is to embrace and enjoy what you do. Of course, work in this sector is often stressful but it’s also interesting and rewarding so you should get excited about it.

As a member of the R3 Scotland committee representing the new professional/NextGen audience, what are your main priorities for supporting those in the early stages of their careers? 

I am the co-chair of the NextGen committee in Scotland along with Maxine Walker. One of our priorities is to try and broaden the geographical reach of R3. Historically, the events we have been involved in have always been Edinburgh and Glasgow centred which is natural. However, we are really keen to involve people further North in places like Dundee and Aberdeen (where Maxine and I are both from originally). We had our first event in Aberdeen last year and we hope to do something similar again this year. Beyond that, my main priority is to contribute a little bit to those in the early stages of their career building up their networks. It has already been rewarding to get to know people in other organisations who started at trainee or equivalent level at the same time as me, and to see those people begin to climb the first couple of rungs on the ladder, and I want all the new professionals to have the chance to enjoy that process as well.

What role do you believe R3 plays in supporting young professionals and which aspect of membership have you found most valuable since joining in 2025? 

The first simple answer is that R3 is a great source of technical information that is really helpful when you are new to the sector. Technical updates from individuals, at fora, and on the website have really helped to flesh out my knowledge which is great in the first couple of years of your career. However, the real benefit to young professionals is that R3 helps lay the groundwork of the relationships that you will benefit from, potentially for decades to come. R3 has certainly facilitated me getting to know people in various organisations in the sector that otherwise would still be no more than names on an email chain. The result is that it has been much easier to do work with these people as you become far more comfortable picking up the phone to speak to them without worrying about either of you being standoffish. 

What do you enjoy most about working in Scotland’s professional community?

The insolvency and restructuring community in Scotland is a small world. It’s been great to feel that in just a couple of years I have managed to get to know so many of the other solicitors and IPs so well, and this has made the work much more enjoyable. It also seems to be a very sociable sector with enthusiastic involvement in the events that are put on by R3 and others. I love this as it allows you to build up a more personal relationship with the people you deal with professionally. It’s (hopefully) a long career and so enjoying the people that you spend it with is a real positive for me.