Gradual extension of court business is positive development for access to justice

The staggered reopening of the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service (SCTS) for civil business will have a positive impact on access to justice for the vulnerable families, individuals and businesses served by the Scottish legal profession, according to the Law Society of Scotland.

The SCTS announced today that they will begin to take some steps in ordinary and family actions and where applicable the commercial courts, adults with incapacity applications and insolvency cases. They will also restart commissary business through remote working.

Lorna Jack, Chief Executive of the Law Society of Scotland said “We are extremely encouraged to see progress being made towards the reopening of court business through digital and remote working.  We have worked closely with our colleagues at the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service and it is clear that our concerns for our members and the public they serve have been taken on board in these important planning stages.

“We look forward to receiving more detailed guidance on how the SCTS plan to prioritise and address business going forward.  In the meantime however, while this is clearly a positive development, it is by no means a return to business as usual and we would encourage our members to make every effort to prioritise their business and avoid overburdening the system.”

Adherence to Government restrictions and the health and safety of all those involved in court business will remain priority and the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service will issue full guidance on the arrangements to extend business in the week commencing 27 April 2020.  

You can read the Scottish Courts and Tribunal statement here.