Law Society news
New court rules in personal injury actions
New procedural rules are to apply in the Court of Session and must be followed in certain personal injury actions with effect from 1 March 2020.
Law Society President and Chief Executive take to the stage for 'LexFactor' fundraiser
Top musical talent from across Scotland’s legal profession have signed up to take part in the first LexFactor battle of the bands to support the Lawscot Foundation.
TCSP thematic review report
The legal sector’s provision of Trust or Company services has been identified as an inherently high risk area of business and as such, the area of focus for our first thematic review - the results of which have now been published.
Take a virtual tour of diploma providers
Planning on starting the Diploma in Professional Legal Practice in 2020? Take a tour of our virtual diploma fair to check out what's on offer from the six Scottish providers to consider all of your options.
Donald Dewar Memorial Debate Tournament 2019/20
Teams through to the semi-final of our national schools' debating tournament.
Law Society accredits first non-lawyer legal technology specialist
Legal technology expert Steve Dalgleish has been awarded Accredited Legal Technologist status by the Law Society.
Final year LLB survey 2020
We have launched a survey to understand more about the career aspirations of current law students and solicitors of the future. Whether you hope to become a solicitor or not, we would like to hear from all final year law students, to understand more about your career choices.
Your views wanted - Scottish legal aid fee review
The Legal Aid Committee are looking for your views to feed into their response to the Scottish Goverment's legal aid fee review.
Gillespie Macandrew joins contextualised recruitment pilot
Gillespie Macandrew is the third firm to join a pilot scheme to incorporate contextualised recruitment into their next trainee hiring round. A partnership between Rare Recruitment and the Law Society, the aim is to increase fair access to the profession.
Solicitor advocate introductory course
Bookings are now open for the March introductory course for potential solicitor advocates. Anyone looking to apply to become a solicitor advocate will need to complete an introductory course before making an application.
The value of legal aid
Legal aid plays an important role in Scottish society. John Mulholland, President of the Society pays tribute to our member solicitors who work on this basis to provide the very best quality advice and representation to some of the most vulnerable and marginalised members of our communities.
Law Society speaker at Holocaust Memorial event
Our Policy Executive, Gillian Mawdsley was invited to speak at a Holocaust Memorial Day event for the Scottish civil service, on the deceptively normal legal and policy processes which helped create concentration camps and facilitated mass murder.
Congratulations to new Vice Dean
Our President John Mulholland has congratulated Roddy Dunlop QC on his election as the new Vice Dean of Faculty.
Public policy highlights
Our policy committees have had a busy month analysing and responding to proposed changes in the law to positively influence the creation of a fairer and more just society.
Ken Dalling confirmed as Law Society President for 2021
Stirling solicitor Ken Dalling will become the Society's next Vice President in May 2020
Brexit - what's next?
The UK's Withdrawal from the EU - where are we now, what's next and what are our priorities for the negotiations to come?
New guidance aims to improve price transparency in legal services
New guidance for Scottish solicitors on publishing pricing aims to help consumers better understand the cost of legal advice and services.
Getting ready to complete your AML Certificate
In advance of the AML Certificate submission period opening on 10 February, AML Analyst, Fraser Sinclair provides some useful information to help you prepare.
Be part of our new lawyers reference group
Applications are open for anyone wanting to join our new lawyers reference group. The group meets bi-annually in Edinburgh to discuss issues affecting new lawyers and contribute to our strategy in related areas.
Thank you to Vice Dean of Faculty of Advocates
Tribute to Angela Grahame QC following the announcement that she is stepping down as Vice Dean of the Faculty of Advocates.
A quick guide to the Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2019
Provisions of the Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2019 came into effect today (Monday 20 January 2020), including a presumption in favour of pre-recording the evidence of child witnesses in certain types of cases. We are working with Scottish Government officials to develop training in this area, and in the meantime have highlighted some of the changes.
Practice Rule Changes
See our update on Practice Rule changes relating to client communications and firms' client relations managers which come into effect on 1 February 2020
Property Law Committee update
Our Property Law Committee consider the law and practice around conveyancing and provide information and guidance where appropriate for the benefit of the Scottish legal profession. The committee has a keen understanding of the the ongoing challenges that property solicitors face in practice, deals with a variety of issues and is keen to highlight some of their recent work.
Scottish Government legal aid fee review: your views
Ian Moir, convener of the Law Society of Scotland Legal Aid Committee, calls for practitioners' experiences of the impact of legal aid fees