Roberton Review

A Scottish Parliament committee wants to understand what impact the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill will have on legal regulators, service providers and consumers in Scotland. The bill will update the regulation of legal services in Scotland and provides for a modernised regulatory fram

Options within a Scottish government consultation on reforming the regulation of Scotland’s legal sector could leave consumers facing higher legal bills, the Law Society of Scotland has said. The society is urging major reforms to the way legal services are regulated, but has cautioned against

Ken Swinton, author of the Scottish Law Agents’ Society's response to the Scottish government's consultation on the regulation of the legal profession, notes the importance of an independent judiciary, which requires “that there must be an independent legal profession to ensure appr

A new system of regulation claiming to promote "accountability, transparency and independence" is being proposed to "meet the needs of the legal sector and consumers". A consultation has been launched today and will run until 24 December to seek views on options to change the way legal services are

Lawyers are generally opposed to the Scottish government's proposals to reform the legal complaints system, the results of a consultation show. A majority of respondents either 'mostly' or 'strongly' disagreed with the majority of the proposals that stem from 2018's Roberton Review. A majority, howe

A recommendation that legal services in Scotland be independently regulated has been condemned as poorly researched, flawed in its conclusions and as contributing nothing of use to the debate over the Roberton Review.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has recommended that an independent body regulate legal services in Scotland. In a report published today, it also recommends that the Law Society of Scotland carry out a review of the impact of existing price and service transparency guidance, including w

The Law Society of Scotland, the Faculty of Advocates and the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission have welcomed the Scottish government’s response to the Roberton report on legal services regulation. The government has pledged to consult on possible reforms after recognising the main Roberton

The Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) is to undertake research into the Scottish legal services market to support the Scottish government’s response to the Roberton Review. Led by Esther Roberton, that review made a number of recommendations, including that there should be a single ind

The Roberton Review fails to appreciate the separation of powers, proposes a regime that will effectively cost the consumer more and is so lacking in credibility that it should "form no basis for any changes" to the regulation of legal services in Scotland, solicitors have said. The Scottish La

Michael Sheridan reflects on the changes proposed by the Roberton Review and the urgent need for Scots lawyers to participate in the discussion on the future of legal regulation. This is a period of seismic change in the regulation of the legal profession. Whereas previously there was a long-standin

The Society of Solicitors in the Supreme Courts of Scotland (SSC) is delighted to announce that Esther Roberton, author of Fit For The Future, the report of the Independent Review of Legal Services Regulation in Scotland is to speak at an open meeting on Thursday 16 May. SSC president Douglas Thomso

Scottish solicitors say the Law Society of Scotland should continue to regulate solicitors in Scotland, according to new research. Ninety-three per cent of respondents agree that the Law Society should continue to be responsible for representation, support and regulation of solicitors in Scotland, a

Lawyers gathered last week at the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow to hear a debate on the merits of the Roberton Review.  The panel consisted of report author Esther Roberton; Scottish Legal Complaints Commission chief executive Neil Stevenson; former Law Society of Scotland president C

Legal Hackers Scotland have brought together all the main players for a unique debate on the Independent Review of the Regulation of Legal Services in Scotland. Presentations and debate will be provided by a distinguished panel of speakers: Esther Roberton (chair of the Review); Neil Stevenson (CEO