Obituary: Christine MacWilliam OBE, solicitor, councillor and justice of the peace

Christine was born in Kilmorack on 26 November 1933, the second of three children of the late James Fraser, a local contractor, and his wife Christina. She was educated at Teanassie School, Kilmorack and then Beauly Primary School where she was Dux. Christine's secondary education was at the Inverness Royal Academy. Thereafter, she attended Aberdeen University, graduating MA LLB in 1954.

Her legal apprenticeship was undertaken with Edmonds & Ledingham in Aberdeen before she worked as a legal assistant with McGrigor Donald in Glasgow.

Christine joined the former firm of Stewart Rule & Co in Inverness in 1966 before moving to found MacArthur & Co with the late Colonel Neil MacArthur and his son Ian MacArthur in 1967. Christine was a partner of MacArthur & Co until she retired on 31 December, 1998 and was thereafter a consultant to the firm for a further two years.

During her career Christine specialised in a number of areas of the law, including liquor licensing law, and was for many years solicitor to the former North of Scotland Licensed Trade Association and, more recently, the Highland Region Licensed Trade Association.

Outside the law Christine had many interests including car rallying. She was a founder member of Inverness Floral Art Society and had a keen interest in politics.

She was a very active member of the Inverness Conservative Constituency Association, finally becoming chairman of the Northern Area Conservative Association.

Christine also served as an Inverness county councillor and as a justice of the peace.

She had a great enthusiasm for life and loved travelling, particularly to far off places. Her generous hospitality in her own home was well known and her parties were always a source of great fun and enjoyment for all.

Among other business interests Christine was involved in a well known Beauly dress shop, Ruffles of Beauly, and was a director of Las Plant Limited, Strathnairn Blenders Limited, Moray Firth Radio and the North of Scotland Milk Marketing Board. She also chaired the Forestry Advisory Committee for the North of Scotland. She received an OBE in 1981 for her services to politics.

Christine married the late Dan MacWilliam in 1976 and she shared with him a great love of horses and carriage driving. In the early 1980s they moved out to Bunchrew Farm, outside Inverness, where they spent their later years. During the late 1970s both she and Dan were involved in the running of Jacobite Cruises.

Christine was one of the first female solicitors in the Highlands and was highly thought of by her many clients for the extremely capable and caring way she dealt with their affairs. With her keen legal mind she was extremely well respected and highly thought of by her fellow solicitors in the Inverness area and beyond.

She was the first female solicitor to be admitted to those previously male preserves of the Inverness Faculty of Solicitors and in particular its annual dinner.

Christine had been severely disabled by advanced Alzheimer's disease, which had developed over the last ten years of her life, but those who knew her will remember her cheerful and outgoing personality, her kindness and concern for others and the sound advice which she dispensed to all who knew her - both clients and friends.

Ian A MacDonald