SCTS and Edinburgh solicitors agree way forward

The Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service and the Edinburgh Bar Association have agreed to resume working together in an effort to settle the dispute arising from the removal of a solicitor from Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Saturday.

A joint statement posted to both parties' websites reads:

"Following a constructive meeting between representatives of the Edinburgh Bar Association and Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service we have agreed that it is unfortunate that the recent events in Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 30 October, concerning a solicitor attending on behalf of EBA members, have impacted on the courts and the excellent relationship between the parties. We wish to restore the previous good working relationship between justice partners.

"The incident was unprecedented and there are clearly lessons to be learned from it. Whilst the specific facts remain subject to further enquiry, it is agreed that the potential for any future similar incident should be avoided through early communication and engagement between justice partners.

"We also agree that the discussions in the public forum over the last few days have been unhelpful in drawing the issue created by the recent events to a resolution. The EBA are satisfied that SCTS did not intend to imply that the solicitor in question misrepresented the events. 

"We would encourage all to recommence working together in the spirit of collaboration."