The professional body for Scottish solicitors is acting alongside bar associations across the United Kingdom and Europe, with an amici curiae brief filed in the US Court of Appeals in Washington DC.

The court is hearing a joint appeal by the US Department of Justice against four court rulings that sanctions against law firms Perkins Coie, Jenner & Block, Susman Godfrey and WilmerHale were unconstitutional and unlawful.

Law Society of Scotland president, Patricia Thom, said: “We are standing together with bar associations from across Europe and the UK in support of our American legal colleagues and the important principles that are a stake in this case.

“The rule of law and the independence of the legal professions are critically important to the proper functioning of democracy in the United States just as they are here in Scotland. Government actions designed to have a chilling effect on lawyers are unacceptable in any form.

“Our collective submission in this case will provide the court with global context on the importance of these values. It is right that we provide wider perspective and support in this case because of the United States’ long history as a beacon for the rule of law alongside Scotland, the UK and others.

“Lawyers around the world must stand up for the independence and integrity of our legal and public institutions and for the values and principles that underpin them. Democracy and the stability and prosperity it brings rest in no small part on their continuing relevance.”