Law Society president joins in voicing concern over proposed court fee hike

Following the news that the Scottish government has issued a consultation paper in which possible increases of 24 per cent are mooted in an effort to recover the cost to the public of providing the services of the courts, the president of the Law Society of Scotland has expressed concerns about the proposals.

Eilidh Wiseman said: “We strongly believe that courts in Scotland should be a public resource and therefore have obvious concerns over proposed increases on this scale.

“When the Scottish government last consulted on increases to civil court fees in 2015, we reiterated that we do not support the principle of ‘full-cost pricing’ as well as our reservations over the disproportionate effect increased court costs could have on small legal practices, ultimately reducing consumer choice.

“We will be working closely with members on our remuneration and access to justice committees to respond to the consultation and we’re pleased the new minister for community safety and legal affairs has already been in touch to ask for our views and arrange a meeting during the consultation period.”

The Dean of Faculty, Gordon Jackson QC, also expressed concern, saying earlier this week: “The Faculty will consider the paper and respond in detail in due course. My immediate concern would be maintaining access to justice and I would be anxious to ensure that no change would adversely affect that.”