All PC renewal to be online from this year, Society confirms

Every Scottish solicitor will have to renew their practising certificate online from this year's renewal round, the Law Society of Scotland confirmed today.

The move to online renewal process for all solicitors comes after a three-year period during which solicitors had the option of renewing their PCs online. The majority have already chosen this method, which the Society says is quicker and easier than paper renewal, particularly for large organisations – as well as saving more than 60,000 sheets of paper if all renewals are done online.

Solicitors will also have a longer window in which to renew their PC this year, with the renewal period opening on 26 August and closing as normal on 31 October.

Deputy Registrar James Ness commented: “So far online PC renewal has been very successful and has already saved time for well over half of our members.

“We’re confident that those who have yet to complete the process online will see the same benefits when they make the transition this year.”

Amanda Wright, senior legal adviser at Standard Life, said: “It was always extremely time consuming for the legal department here when it came to renewing our practising certificates. Trying to co-ordinate over 50 lawyers’ paper renewals was a drawn-out process. 

“But the Law Society’s online practising certificate renewal process has made it much more efficient for in-house lawyers and I found the process extremely quick and easy.  It also lets me store my renewal certificate electronically as soon as it’s emailed to me.”

For more information, visit www.lawscot.org.uk/pc-renewal