Summer recess abolished under major change in Court of Session timetable
A major change to the timetable of the Court of Session, allowing it to sit throughout the year, has been announced by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS).
Under a Direction issued by the Lord President, Lord Carloway, the traditional three court terms of the legal year will effectively be abolished from the start of the legal year 2017-18.
Two vacation periods, each of a fortnight, will be observed at Christmas and Easter, while the summer recess will end.
“To a great extent, this aligns the practice of the Court of Session generally with the existing practice in some courts – such as the criminal courts and the Commercial Division,” said the SCTS.
“It will allow greater flexibility in programming the work of the courts over the Legal Year.”