News & Events
2024
news and events
SCOTTISH LAW AGENTS SOCIETY
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AGENDA
THURSDAY 20th June 2024 at 6pm by Zoom video teleconferencing
To meet the Law Society of Scotland’s requirement that an hour’s CPD on risk management be included in solicitors’ annual 15 hour verifiable quota, we have provided such CPD within our expanding portfolio, free to all our members.
In September we published the third of four issues of the Scottish Law Gazette for 2024. Members are encouraged to submit news, articles, book reviews or items for discussion. The Gazette is not a glossy business magazine but a traditional publication for those who do not necessarily want to spend all their time looking at a computer screen.
We publish articles in The Scotsman, on subjects as diverse as Queen Caroline, the Taliban and the SLCC. These appear every 8 weeks, in print and online, and they are a way of airing matters that are of concern or interest to our membership, the profession or the public. We regularly have items on Scottish Legal News. If you have any ideas for future publications please let us know
The Society is always keen to respond to the consultation exercises undertaken by the Government, the Scottish Law Commission and others. In July, August and October 2024 we responded to Consultations on the Tenancy of Shops Act, the standard of proof at the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal and amendment to the Adults with Incapacity legislation respectively. We do monitor upcoming Consultations generally, and anyone interested in assisting in responding is welcome to do so.
On 30th October 2023 we submitted a Response to the Scottish Civil Justice Council’s Consultation om new civil procedure rules. Whilst this set of rules contains some good reforms its erosion of the distinction between adversarial and inquisitorial procedure is a recipe for confusion and complaints.
When Covid 19 hampered our ability to organise any physical CPD events, a problem facing all CPD providers, we launched a webcast based CPD program, totally FREE to members and giving extraordinary value for money for anyone subscribing as a SLAS member.
Our President and Secretary met recently with the SLCC for a useful discussion of issues affecting the profession, and a further meeting is scheduled to take place in 2024.
On 21st November 2023 we attended Holyrood to give evidence to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice committee of the Scottish Parliament on the Legal Regulation Bill. We opposed the idea of state interference in the regulation of lawyers as being a threat to the rule of law, and we proposed that complainers to the SLCC pay a refundable fee to do so, a proposal that was opposed on the day by both the Law Society and Faculty of Advocates.”
Our 2024 Christmas lunch will take place on Saturday 14th December 2024. All members are welcome to attend and should contact the Secretary if they wish to do so
In February 2021 we began writing to MSPs to seek their support for a change in the law so that the budget of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission is approved by the Scottish Ministers rather than by the Commission itself. In our view accountability and transparency demand that the Commission’s spending be scrutinised by someone else. If it is sensible the SLCC has nothing to worry about. This year’s draft budget shows why there needs to be outside scrutiny; despite a fall in complaints, the Commission seeking to impose the same annual levy on the profession as last year. This is wholly unreasonable.
Practitioners are asked to note that the Law Society of Scotland’s Price Transparency Guidance came into force on 31st January 2021.
Our 2024 AGM took place on 20th June. By an overwhelming majority the meeting approved a motion by Michael Sheridan that the Society should call upon the Scottish Government not to enact those elements of the Legal Regulation Bill facilitating Alternative Business Structures and to repeal legislative measures which already do so. There is little point in resisting an attack on the profession’s independence by politicians having control if we allow investment companies to exert control instead. ABS is treated with suspicion in most of the rest of the English speaking world, including the USA. There are good reasons for that.