Celebrating 75 years

The 31 July is an important date. It’s the Society’s 75th birthday. CEO Diane McGiffen shares her thoughts on this significant milestone, and why access to justice is just as important today, as it was in 1949.

The Society at 75

There is so much to celebrate in Scotland’s legal profession, and the Law Society of Scotland’s 75th anniversary provides an ideal opportunity to reflect on the many changes and achievements within the profession and the wider legal sector.

Since 1949, the Scottish legal profession has more than quadrupled in size, from just over 3,000 solicitors to around 13,300, and is increasingly diverse, better reflecting the society it serves.

The Law Society itself was established in the same Act that introduced legal aid for those unable to pay for the advice and representation they needed – so that commitment to access to justice has been woven into everything that the Society does since its creation.

Every day our members help individuals solve complex legal issues; they represent some of the most vulnerable in our society. Solicitors also support successful businesses and play key roles in public bodies right across the country, and the sector itself contributes around £1.5bn to the Scottish economy.

However, amid all the changes we have seen and the challenges faced over the past 75 years, some things remain constant for Scottish solicitors: the deep-rooted commitment, integrity, depth of knowledge and skills that our members bring to the important work that they do.

Evolution

Our challenge and mission at the Society is to continually evolve and adapt to ensure we support our members to thrive in a growing and well-regulated sector.

The Law Society’s team includes talented and committed colleagues who support our members and the hundreds of volunteers on our committees and Council. Together, that partnership has ensured that the Society has been effective and influential throughout its 75 years.

We have much to be proud of at the Law Society, and already highlights from our anniversary year have included our accreditation as a Leader in Diversity for our equality, diversity and inclusion work, and being awarded Investors in People Gold for the very first time. These accreditations show our commitment to our own improvement and to benchmarking ourselves against the best in the world.

The Society has always been ambitious in promoting the rule of law and access to justice, while we know that there is still much work to do.

We also have a longstanding commitment to encouraging the profession to better reflect the diversity of the people and communities it serves, and attract the best talent regardless of socio-economic status or cultural or religious background.

In 1999 the Society established the Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament to help inspire school pupils across Scotland. More recently, in 2016, the Lawscot Foundation was created to support and encourage Scots law students from less advantaged backgrounds – more than 50 students have benefited so far.

We will continue to promote increased diversity throughout the profession, focusing on gender equality, racial inclusion and disability, because it is right that we encourage talented individuals from a wide cross-section of our society to join the profession.

Through our surveys, Council members, committees, consultations and meetings with members, we clearly hear what matters to members and what our priorities should be. These are set out in our strategy and are best summed up as supporting our members to thrive. Recently this has included sharpening our focus on environmental issues through Lawscot Sustainability and working on the challenges and opportunities that artificial intelligence brings through LawscotTech.

Change ahead

The Law Society is a proudly non-partisan organisation. Our members come from across the political spectrum, but there are fundamental values we believe should be championed by our politicians. In the run-up to the UK General Election we highlighted areas we believe should be areas of focus. This included supporting the rule of law and access to justice; strengthening the administrative justice system to ensure people can enforce their legal rights; and combating financial crime, in addition to support for the wider legal sector and cross-border legal services.

With a new UK Government and Holyrood elections in 2026, the political environment continues to change. Over the next Scottish parliamentary year, we will continue to work closely on Bills going through the Scottish Parliament, including the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, which could radically alter our criminal justice system, and the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill, which aims to modernise the current regulatory structure. We have clearly voiced our significant concerns about proposals for ministerial powers in the current Bill, and the need for regulation that better protects consumers while allowing for more flexibility and opportunity for the legal sector to thrive remains – and we continue to press for important changes.

As we mark our 75th anniversary, the Law Society has a record to be proud of, and it’s certainly my aim to ensure we keep evolving to meet the needs of our members, that client trust and satisfaction remains strong, and the international reputation of the profession endures.

Get in touch

The Society’s 75th anniversary is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the successes of the profession and what it means to be a Scottish solicitor – as well as look to the next 75 years. We’d be delighted for you to get in touch and share your stories and experiences to help us celebrate this special year.

Written by Diane McGiffen, CEO Law Society of Scotland