Contemplating independence

I attended the Law Society of Scotland-sponsored fringe meeting at the recent annual conference of the SNP in Inverness.

During the questions session the Society’s representatives were asked to explain what preparations the Society was making for Scotland possibly becoming an independent state in the next three years. The question seemed to take them by surprise, as there appeared to have been no discussion within the Society of this prospect.

It is surely prudent for the Society in particular and the profession in general to discuss the potential consequences, as time may not be on our side.

From the constitution we might adopt, to the possible rejection of precedent in our common law, there is an ocean of discovery and opportunity to explore.

Whatever our individual politics and the eventual constitutional settlement, we are fortunate to be a legal generation whose dynamic can develop our legal system, and the wider society it serves, down fascinating and enlightened paths.

This momentous time provides the opportunity to the Society to promote wide ranging discussion and radical thinking, both within the profession and civic Scotland, free from partisan politics. It would also be a refreshing respite from the mundane but essential diet of CPD courses, which are principally an aid to keeping our individual firms afloat.