Public Policy Committee

Our Administrative Justice committee considers issues affecting the tribunal system in Scotland, as well as the wider ombudsman and dispute resolution processes for public services. It also considers the wider implications for the administrative justice sector, including the protection of human rights, ensuring a ‘right first time’ approach and the development of wider principles that would assist the sector.  

Our Banking, Company & Insolvency Law sub-committee consists of solicitor and non-solicitor members, who have an interest and experience in banking, company and insolvency law matters. We work with stakeholders and respond to consultations on a wide range of issues.

Our Charity Law Sub-Committee consists of solicitor and non-solicitor members, who have an interest in and experience of charity law, its practice and its role in society. We work closely with stakeholders including OSCR, the Scottish Government and others on a range of issues affecting the charity sector. Our area of focus is influencing proposals for comprehensive charity law reform in order to put the sector on the strongest possible footing for a sustainable future.

Our Child and Family committee considers law reform and practice issues affecting children and families in Scotland. At a stage of significant reform of family law, including the wider use of mediation in family cases, proposed reforms to surrogacy and cohabitation, and the incorporation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into domestic law, the committee is keen to ensure practical and effective rights and a legal system focused on the best interests of the child.

Our Competition Law sub-committee consists of solicitor and non-solicitor members, who have an interest in competition law. We work with stakeholders and respond to consultations and legislation on a wide range of competition law issues. We engage with a range of stakeholders, including the Department for Business & Trade (DBT) and the CMA. Membership of the committee comprises solicitor and non-solicitor members employed in private practice, regulatory bodies and academia.

The Constitutional Law and Human Rights Committee's remit is to support the Public Policy Committee in the delivery of the Law Society’s strategy, particularly the area under influencing the creation of a fairer and more just society and being an international centre of excellence in thought leadership, through the development of positions relating to public policy. 

Our Consumer Law sub-committee consists of solicitor and non-solicitors, who have an interest and experience in consumer law matters. We work with stakeholders and respond to consultations and legislation on a wide range of consumer issues, and we work closely with other committees, including the Banking, Company & Insolvency Law sub-committee. 

Our Employment Law Sub-Committee is made up of solicitor and non-solicitor members with an interest in and experience of employment law, including those who mainly advise employers and those who mainly advise employees. We respond to proposed changes in the law in the field of employment that are relevant to Scotland, and to any developments relating to the structure and practice of Employment Tribunals in Scotland. We work closely with other committees on discrimination and access to justice issues. 

The Energy Law sub committee is made up of solicitor and non solicitor members with a particular interest in and knowledge of energy law in Scotland. Members include academics and solicitors who advise clients in respect of renewable and non-renewable energies and those involved in regulation of the energy industry. The sub committee aims to improve the practice and procedure of energy law by analysing and responding to proposals for reform in this area of law from the Scottish Parliament, UK Parliament and beyond.  

Our Environmental Law Sub-Committee is made up of solicitor and non-solicitor members with an interest in and experience of environmental law matters. We work with relevant stakeholders and respond to consultations and legislation on a wide range of environmental issues. Our priorities include environmental governance and work around the introduction of a human right to a healthy environment.

Our Equalities Law sub-committee works across a wide range of issues relating to equalities law. It is made up of solicitors and non-solicitor members with an interest in  and professional experience in this area. It also includes members who have lived experience in some of the protected characteristics. 

Our Health and Medical Law Sub-Committee is made up of solicitor and non-solicitor members with an interest in the broad area of health and medical law. We have a number of members with an academic background and maintain good links with academia. We respond to proposals from a range of bodies relating to health and medical law, often also engaging regulatory or human rights issues. We were one of the founding committees of the working group which produced the Advance choices, and medical decision-making in intensive care situations paper in 2022.

The remit of the Immigration and Asylum Sub-Committee is to support the Public Policy Committee in the delivery of the Law Society’s strategy, particularly the area under influencing the creation of a fairer and more just society and being an international centre of excellence in thought leadership, through the development of positions relating to public policy. 

Our Intellectual Property Law sub-committee consists of solicitor and non-solicitor members, who have an interest and experience in intellectual property law. We work with stakeholders and respond to consultations and legislation on a wide range on intellectual property law issues. We engage with different stakeholders, such as the IPO and other government agencies. 

The Licensing Law sub committee is made up of solicitor and non solicitor members with a particular interest in and knowledge of licensing law in Scotland. Members include local authority solicitors who provide legal advice to licensing boards and committees and those who represent clients involved in the licensing trade including retail, liquor, entertainment and gambling licensing.  The sub committee aims to improve the practice and procedure of licensing law by analysing and responding to proposals for reform in this area of law from the Scottish Parliament, UK Parliament and beyond. 

Our Marine Law Sub-Committee is made up of solicitor and non-solicitor members with an interest in and experience of marine law. We respond to a wide range of relevant consultations and work with stakeholders in areas including marine decarbonisation, offshore wind developments and issues affecting the rights of workers in the maritime sector. We also continue to monitor and engage with marine matters arising from EU exit.

Our Mental Health and Disability Sub-Committee is made up of solicitor and non-solicitor members with experience across mental health, capacity and adult support and protection law. Since its inception in 1989 the committee has been a major national player in relevant law reform and related developments, with an emphasis on the perspective of legal practitioners, and we are currently engaging with proposals for reform following the final report of the Scottish Mental Health Law Review (September 2022). We were one of the founding committees of the working group which produced the Advance choices, and medical decision-making in intensive care situations paper in 2022.

Our Obligations Law sub-committee consists of solicitor and non-solicitor members, who have an interest in obligations law, and we work with stakeholders and respond to consultations and legislation on a wide range of obligation law issues.  

Our Pensions Law sub-committee consists of solicitor and non-solicitor members, who have an interest and experience in pension law matters. We work with stakeholders and respond to consultations and legislation on a wide range of pension issues.

Our Planning Law Sub-Committee works across a wide range of planning law matters. We engage with Scottish Government on work around implementation of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and the wider planning reform agenda. We represent the Society on a number of relevant external groups including the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) Stakeholder Forum.

Our Privacy Law sub-committee consists of solicitor and non-solicitor members, who have an interest in privacy law matters. The committee works with stakeholders and responds to consultation and legislation on a wide range of privacy issues. Membership of the committee comproises solicitor and non-solicitor members employed in local government, private practice, regulatory boises, higher education and the third sector. 

Our Property and Land Law Sub-Committee works across a wide range of property and land law matters.  We work closely with other committees including the Property Law Committee and the Rural Affairs Sub-Committee. We engage with Scottish Government on property law aspects of law reform, including on the climate change agenda. We work with a range of stakeholders and represent the Society on a number of relevant external groups.

Our Rural Affairs Sub-Committee is made up of solicitor and non-solicitor members with an interest in and experience of a wide range of rural affairs issues. We work closely with other committees including the Property and Land Law Sub-Committee and the Environmental Law Sub-Committee. We respond to consultations and proposals for relevant changes to the law from a wide range of stakeholders. We have done a significant amount of work on crofting law reform, and are pleased to be contributing to the Scottish Government’s work on crofting law.

Our Tax Law Sub-Committee works across the full range of tax law matters. We have sub-groups focusing on LBTT, personal tax and business tax. We engage with stakeholders including HMRC, Revenue Scotland and the Scottish Government and response to a wide range of relevant consultations. We also work closely with other committees, particularly the Property Law Committee on LBTT issues, and represent the Society on a number of external groups.

Our Trusts and Succession Law Sub-Committee works across a broad range  of issues relating to trusts law and succession law. We engage with stakeholders including SCTS, HMRC and the Scottish Law Commission. We work closely with colleagues in the Professional Practice Team on guidance for our members. We are working to influence and scrutinise proposals for new legislation to reform trusts and succession law.