Law Society news
RBS Platinum donation boosts charity birthday celebrations
Academically gifted law students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Scotland will benefit from a recent cash injection to the Lawscot Foundation - a charity set up by the Law Society to remove financial barriers between aspiring law students and their goal of becoming Scottish solicitors.
Letting agent code of practice update
With the Scottish Government’s Letting Agent Registration (Scotland) Regulations 2016 coming into effect next year, the Society has been actively involved in ongoing discussions to make sure that our members’ interests are represented.
Hate crime legislation review survey
Solicitors and members of the public are being encouraged to submit their views on hate crime legislation in Scotland.
Law reform round up May 2017
The Society’s committees have been working on a number of Scottish Parliament and UK Parliamentary Bills and consultations including the Child Poverty (Scotland) Bill, the SLAB consultation on changes to the Code of Practice.
In the spotlight: the UK Supreme Court
The recent decision of the UK Supreme Court on the Brexit process brought the court into the public spotlight like never before.
Increase in trainee recommended rate
Trainee solicitors across Scotland could benefit from a pay boost following an increase to the Law Society of Scotland recommended pay rate.
Being an international law student
Love Kathe Herén is a first-year LLB student at Aberdeen University, qualifying in a degree of law with English law. As an international student, she shares some of her thoughts about how to thrive in a new environment far away from one’s previous home.
My final journey through law school
Sarah Beattie is a Diploma student at the University of Dundee, having previously completed her accelerated LLB in Scots law at the University of Dundee. Sarah will be graduating in June 2017.
Trainee blog - Christopher Knudsen
Christopher Knudsen is a trainee solicitor at North Lanarkshire Council, Legal and Democratic Solutions. He is coming to the end of his first seat in Asset and Information and will shortly be moving to a seat in Licensing and Litigation.
NQ blog - May 2017: Secret NQ blog - tips for transitioning from trainee to NQ solicitor
Our anonymous blogger from Pinsent Masons completed their traineeship with the firm, splitting their time between Scotland and London before qualifying into Pinsent Masons’ Construction Advisory and Disputes team. They now work on a range of disputes within the infrastructure and energy sectors.
Trainee helpline: So, who are you gonna call?
Katie Wood, Head of Admissions, explains how she supports trainee solicitors on our confidential helpline – starting with nagging!
A great leap into the unknown
Kundai Phute, Governance Solicitor at Aberdeen City Council, reflects on her first few months as an in-house solicitor and some of the things she loves about her move over from private practice.
Law Society ‘frustrated and disappointed’ at final SLCC budget
The Law Society of Scotland has said it is frustrated and disappointed after the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) laid its final budget before the Scottish Parliament.
CPD for in-house lawyers - gender pay gap reporting
At this month’s ‘CPD for In-house Lawyers’ seminar, Amanda Jones – Head of the Employment, Pensions & Immigration team at Maclay Murray& Spens LLP – spoke to us about gender pay gap reporting. Here, Amanda reflects further on what this means for organisations and those involved with collating the data.
Legal services review announced
The Law Society of Scotland has welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement today, Tuesday, 25 April, of an independent review of legal services, saying that current legislation governing the legal sector is no longer fit for purpose.
Brussels Agenda - April 2017
Read the April edition, for all the latest EU developments.
Local solicitors wanted for Law Society Council
Solicitors hoping to represent their local constituencies as Council members on the Law Society of Scotland’s decision making body have just two days left to submit their nominations.
Society calls for delay on SLAB code of practice
The Law Society of Scotland has called for the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) to postpone the introduction of a proposed new code of practice until new legal aid fee levels for providing police station advice are agreed.
Coding and decoding
Rob Marrs, Head of Education at the Society, reflects on the complementary rather than interchangeable relationship between technology and ‘people’.
New charity set to help legal dreams come true for Scottish students
Academically gifted students from less advantaged backgrounds can now apply for potentially life-changing funding to pursue their dreams of a legal career.
The discount rate - what next?
Kathryn Milne, a personal injury specialist at Tilney, analyses the recent discount rate announcement.
National risk assessment of money laundering and terrorist financing consultation
The UK Government has recently launched a consultation on a refreshed national risk assessment (NRA) of money laundering and terrorist financing.
Fake law firm calling itself ‘Taylor McGivern & Co’
We’re aware of scam involving a fake law firm calling itself ‘Taylor McGivern & Co’, who have a website claiming them to be 'the largest law firm in Glasgow, Scotland'.
Online renewal for non-practising members and roll retention
Non-practising members and individuals who wish to be retained on the roll will have to renew their membership or fees online for the first time this year.