Much to do about smartcards

Fun fact: if you’ve already got your smartcard, along with around a third of the Scottish solicitor profession, it’s likely you’ve met someone who usually spends their days doing something quite different!

Over 50 members of staff at the Law Society of Scotland have been trained to issue smartcards – in addition to carrying out their "day jobs". You could end up chatting to a member of our very dedicated Professional Practice team, the lovely Jeune from IT, or even little old me.

I work in Communications and can usually be found writing emails to members, press releases, the odd tweet and indeed the Society blog (I can tell you’re already a fan), so when it’s time to explain to someone what the smartcard is actually for, I’m lucky enough to be part of the team helping to promote the real benefits of our newest member benefit.

In the Society’s annual survey of members’ views, 85% of you said you were aware of the smartcard, which is great news. But, in the words of that well-known supermarket marketing campaign, it’s not just a "smart card".

In fact, there are loads of ways that the smartcard, and its inbuilt digital signature, can help you in your role as a solicitor, so we had to narrow it down to our top 10.

If you think I’m going to tell you what they all are, I wouldn’t put your money on it. I will give you a sneak preview though… The smartcard can help you to verify your identity as a solicitor, sign up new clients faster, cut your storage costs and exchange missives instantly.

Intrigued? So you should be. I’d recommend visiting the Society's website to find out more, or search #LSSSmartcard on Twitter.

The smartcard is being rolled out to all 11,000+ practising members in 2015. For more information about the smartcard and its uses, visit the Society's website. 

Sarah Sutton is a communications executive at the Law Society of Scotland, working in the Communications, Marketing & Public Affairs team