Law Society comment on court fees consultation

Commenting on Scottish Government proposals for raising fees for bringing court actions across the civil courts, Eilidh Wiseman, president of the Law Society of Scotland, said: “We strongly believe that courts in Scotland should be a public resource and therefore have obvious concerns over proposed increases on this scale. When the Scottish Government last consulted on increases to civil court fees in 2015, we reiterated that we do not support the principle of ‘full-cost pricing’ as well as our reservations over the disproportionate effect increased court costs could have on small legal practices, ultimately reducing  consumer choice.

“We will be working closely with members on our civil justice, remuneration and access to justice committees to respond to the consultation and we’re pleased the new Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs has already been in touch to ask for our views and arrange a meeting during the consultation period.”

The full Scottish Government consultation can be found on their website