Young Dutch lawyers visit Faculty of Advocates

Library staff had made the guests feel at home by putting on a display of Dutch law books from the Faculty’s collection, and Parliament Hall filled them full of awe.

The tour also took in a look at a case in the Court of Session.

“We very much enjoyed the chance to see the way the Scottish legal system works up close. As a group of ‘devilling’ lawyers from the Netherlands, it was very interesting to learn about how lawyers in a different jurisdiction work in practice,” said Heidi van Ginkel.

“Highlights for us included the beautiful painting in the Parliament Hall showing the way the Hall was used in the past, the Dutch texts, and the cross-examination of witnesses. We were shocked to hear that hearings can take days at a time!”

The 18 lawyers were from the Dutch firm, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, and all said: “ absolutely loved our time in Scotland.”