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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

The Scottish Law Agents’ Society has secured wide-ranging political support for a proposed change in the law that would prevent the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) from approving its own budget. Andrew Stevenson, secretary of the society, said SLAS had received the support of

The Scottish Law Agents’ Society is seeking a change in the law that would require the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission’s annual budget to be approved by Scottish ministers rather than by the commission itself. SLAS has begun contacting MSPs to seek their support in making

The Scottish Law Agents’ Society sounded a note of caution over the use of telephone hearings to deal with debates and contentious motions in the civil courts. Andrew Stevenson, secretary of the Society, said: "We understand that there are pressures to get business processed though the courts