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In part two of the Scottish Law Agents Society's (SLAS) response to the the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission's (SLCC) budget consultation, Darren Murdoch, SLAS president, raises concerns with the structure of the review committee system. See part one here. The review committee (RC) system in the

President of the Scottish Law Agents Society (SLAS), Darren Murdoch, details issues the organisation has with the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission's (SLCC) proposed budget and operating plan – and its fear that the SLCC is losing focus of its core mission. The crucial role of the SLCC is i

Andrew Stevenson strikes a note of caution over Parliament issuing pardons or quashing convictions. Mention has been made before in this column of the general need to preserve the separation of powers between the courts and the executive. This constitutional safeguard is there to protect the li

The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill has reached an advanced stage at Holyrood and the Scottish Law Agents Society welcomes many of the changes made to it. For the five reasons set out below, however, it is extremely concerned about the review provisions.

The Scottish Law Agents Society (SLAS) is inviting lawyers to complete a survey on the perceived fairness, transparency, and suitability of the existing legal complaints system in Scotland. Recently, SLAS noted that members of the legal profession have raised concerns and expressed dissatisfaction r

Andrew Stevenson comments on the right of a country to exist. When I studied jurisprudence at Glasgow University, a lot of attention was devoted to the concept of rights.

The Scottish Law Agents’ Society (SLAS) has expressed its opposition to alternative business structures (ABS) ahead of the Law Society of Scotland's AGM this week. SLAS debated a motion by Michael Sheridan that the society should call upon the Scottish Parliament and Scottish government to exc

Scotland should recall recent history before approving a law that would make dictators blush, writes Andrew Stevenson. Last month the Scottish Law Agents’ Society gave evidence to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee of the Scottish Parliament. We opposed the proposal to al

The Scottish Civil Justice Committee’s current draft set of court rules is remarkable in a number of respects, writes Andrew Stevenson. Firstly, it is brief, a mere 80 rules covering just under 30 pages and a laudable exception to the regrettable tendency of legislation to swell to unwieldy di

The Scottish Law Agents’ Society has responded to Holyrood's consultation on the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill. A condensed version of the response is reproduced below. We are deeply uneasy about why the Scottish government feels that it is desirable, appropriate or necessary to

Thanks to the benevolence of a scion of Scottish nobility and her husband nearly a century ago solicitors in need of a break from the pressures and stress of modern working life can obtain funding to enjoy a holiday in Scotland. Lady Helen Stewart-Murray was a daughter of the 7th Duke of Atholl. She

An SNP politician has been rebuked over the tone of his remarks about the Supreme Court and the decision it reaches in the current referendum litigation. Michael Russell suggested that the court will “fail the people of Scotland” if it rules that Holyrood cannot hold its own independence

The Scottish government’s Consultation on Regulation of the Legal Profession closed on Christmas Eve. The Scottish Law Agents’ Society’s response, authored by its council member Ken Swinton, notes the importance of proper regulation of will writing and confirmation work – two

The Scottish Law Agents’ Society has welcomed the decision by the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) to seek a reduced annual levy. Andrew Stevenson, secretary of SLAS, said: “We are glad to see that the commission has decided to seek a reduced levy. Our response to the draft SL

The Law Society of Scotland should regain its regulatory function for solicitors from the "grossly inefficient" Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC), the Scottish Law Agents' Society (SLAS) has said. The SLCC, which is funded through a levy on practising lawyers, has proved controversial sinc