SLCC chair, Jane Malcolm said: “The year ahead will be busy, challenging and exciting. With the first commencement order now in force, we begin the year with new duties to discharge. Subject to further commencement orders, we plan to end the year ready to launch an updated complaints system, which will benefit both the users and the providers of legal services, and to assume extended regulatory powers and functions.

“We know that close working with stakeholders is key to ensuring successful implementation of the Regulation of Legal Services Act. That engagement is well underway and will continue to form a crucial feature of our approach. 

“We’ve also heard concerns from stakeholders about the budgetary implications of these changes and the need for clarity on costs. Implementing the Act will require additional resource and we are grateful to the Scottish government for the funding it has provided to assist with that, and for ongoing positive discussions about further support in the coming year. This allows us to press ahead with the changes we all want to see, while limiting the impact on our core budget and the levy paid by practitioners.

“Alongside our sharp focus on delivering the required reforms, we must continue to meet the continued rising demand for our services as complaint numbers increase. This budget also ensures we have the staffing and resources needed to provide a good service to those bringing complaints to us and to the wider legal sector.”

Chief executive Neil Stevenson said: “The passing of the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2025 was a significant milestone for the SLCC, and work is already underway to implement the changes it introduces. Our phased plan sees the SLCC ready to deliver in three stages in July 2026, 2027, and 2028, with actual go-live dates dependent on commencement orders.

“Alongside our budget and operating plan for the year ahead, we have set out our proposed strategy for 2026-30. This budget supports the first phase of transforming our organisation and services by implementing the new legislation, while delivering a high‑quality service, and promoting improvement across the legal services sector.

“We will deliver this against a backdrop of rising complaint numbers. We also continue to face high costs related to appeals against our decisions and legal and court action against practitioners who do not comply with our statutory requests for information.

“Having successfully argued for legislative changes to help address those issues, we now need to press ahead to deliver those improvements for consumers and the sector that funds our service. We will continue to work collaboratively with partners to achieve that.”