Practising certificate fee to rise for first time in nine years
A proposal to raise the solicitors’ practising certificate fee by 2.3% to £565 will be put to the Law Society of Scotland's annual general meeting on 31 May.
The Society's Council agreed today to recommend the £15 increase, the first in nine years. It would mean the PC fee returning to the level that applied in 2009-10, for the practice year from 1 November 2018.
Chief executive Lorna Jack commented: “We are aware of the costs involved in practising as a solicitor and are determined to keep the cost of the practising certificate at a reasonable level. This is a modest increase which is in line with inflation and represents the first proposed increase in nine years. It would mean the cost of a practising certificate is still 20% less in real terms when compared to 10 years ago.
“There have been encouraging signs of growth within the sector and we have seen the number of practising solicitors gradually rise in recent years. We recognise that some firms, particularly those which carry out legal aid work, and other organisations employing solicitors still face economic challenges and have to manage tight budgets. However this proposed rise would ensure that we can continue to provide support for our members and meet our regulatory requirements, such as the new anti-money laundering regulations.
“We are working hard to achieve our ambitions as a professional body, which include improving regulatory aspects of our work as well as providing high quality services and products which our members can use in their work every day. We will continue our drive to increase efficiency, to innovate and be enterprising in our approach to make sure we can add value. In addition we aim to boost revenue through new and improved services, partnerships or suitable investment to ensure that we have a sustainable funding model that is less reliant on membership fees.”
It was noted at today's meeting that the Society has no power to vary the fee charged to different categories of members, such as those working outside Scotland.
The non-practising membership of the Society has been set at £205, a proportionate rise of £5.