Law Society seeks solicitors’ views on impact of court closures

The Law Society of Scotland has launched a survey looking for Scottish solicitors’ views on the impact of local courts closures across Scotland.

The survey is open to all members of the Law Society of Scotland and closes on Wednesday 24 February 2016.

Stuart Naismith, convener of the Access to Justice committee at the Law Society of Scotland, said: “We want to fully understand the impact that the court closures are having and this survey gives Scottish solicitors a chance to tell us whether these changes are affecting their clients as well as their own work.

“Local courts are an integral part of communities across Scotland. A local court offers the opportunity to see justice done and to bridge the gap between crime in local communities and its detection and resolution.

“Feedback from solicitors, who are crucial to the day-to-day operation of the justice system, and from their clients, will help us to identify any challenges emerging from these closures and to proactively identify improvements that could be made to the operation of local courts and access to justice in Scotland.”

Members of the Law Society of Scotland are encouraged to respond to the online survey which can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9NMNC7J

ENDS                                                              3 February 2016

Notes to editors:

The Law Society survey can be found at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9NMNC7J

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Please contact Sarah Sutton at sarahsutton@lawscot.org.uk / 0131 476 8170 or Val McEwan at valeriemcewan@lawscot.org.uk / 0131 226 8884