The move comes after talks between the SLCC and the Law Society of Scotland over the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the legal profession, clients and public.

By law, a levy is set by the SLCC following consultation and must be paid by the relevant professional organisations on 1 July each year.

Individual practitioners are liable from that date, and the professional organisations must collect the levy and pay this to the SLCC.

The Scottish Law Agents Society (SLAS) welcomed the deferral but said it was now time for the SLCC to revisit its spending plans and come up with a substantial reduction.

Andrew Stevenson, Secretary of SLAS, said: “The budget of the commission has grown exponentially, despite an actual drop in the number of cases from its inception in 2007. It is not sufficient for SLCC merely to claim that ‘cases are more complex’. I suggest that its budget is akin to a runaway train.”

He added: “We think that a detailed investigation is required into the salaries and costs of the SLCC during lockdown. We assume that the commission is able to make considerable savings and that it ought to be able to finance a significant reduction in the levy. We will be requesting the Scottish government to look into this and veto the budget plans.”