Celebrating Sixty Years of Alex M Adamson
November 2020

This year Alex M Adamson proudly enters its sixtieth year in business. To celebrate, we would like to share our history with you, looking back to where we started to see how far we have truly come.

We would also like to take this opportunity to answer the age old question, ‘Who exactly is Alex M Adamson?’ He’s a man that many callers demand to speak with (some salespeople even claiming to know him personally) before being told that he’s no longer with the company and hasn’t been for sixty years.

So who is this mysterious figure and why is his name adorned on our letters, website and even our pens? Just read below for the answer.

Early years

Sheriff Officers can boast of being part of one of the oldest institutions in the Scots legal system, having been in existence since at least the sixteenth century. Yet the early history of Sheriff Officers in Falkirk is shrouded in mystery and it is only in the late 1940s that the first records of a local officer appear. His name was Charles Smith and his office was on Silver Row, Falkirk’s best known lost street (now occupied by Callendar Square Centre). In the 1950s he ceased operating after a Linlithgow officer assumed his office. This officer was none other than Alex M Adamson.

Alex eventually closed his Linlithgow office, ultimately operating from 4 Park Street in Falkirk, across the street from AMA’s current main office at number 7. Sadly it was not long before Alex took seriously ill, passing away in 1960. Unable to operate the business alone, Alex’s wife recruited a young employee at the Sheriff Clerk’s office named David Hunter. Later that year David purchased the business, retaining the name Alex M Adamson in honour of the man who had offered him this life-changing opportunity. It is here that the history of the current company begins with David instigating many ideas and policies that came to define the business.

Becoming who we are today

David’s wife, Jean Hunter, soon joined the business and together they grew the successful venture we have today. They began with a support staff of merely three, a number which gradually increased until its peak of 55 in the late 80s and early 90s. They steered the business through its initial foray into computerisation and the turbulent days of the Community Charge. During their reign, the world transformed drastically and they ensured that the business changed with it. Mountains of paperwork were transferred onto computers and their small local firm expanded across Scotland.

They retired in 1997 and Stuart Hunter became senior partner, with his wife Julie becoming joint partner in 2001. Together they accelerated AMA’s modernisation, instigating the development of the software Minerva, a system especially designed for Summary Warrant, Diligence and Debt Collection work. Minerva propelled AMA into the 21st century, revolutionising the way the business operated by making it as close to paperless as possible. However, innovations were not limited to computers, but also touched the human side of the firm. Stuart and Julie ensured that AMA adhered to modern management practices, becoming the first Sheriff Officers firm to win an ‘Investors in People’ award.

Who we are at 60

AMA continues to progress with increasing turnover year on years, retention and attraction of clients and major advances in technology. As we turn sixty, we would express our gratitude to both our hard-working staff and loyal clients who have made such a milestone possible.