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The Law Society of Scotland has advised that upcoming property settlements may be delayed because of an IT outage with a key Scottish government agency service. The Law Society has been contacted by a number of members about the Register of Insolvencies. The register has been offline since Wednesday

New amendments lodged in the Scottish Parliament this week must deliver on a government promise to reverse proposed political controls over the way lawyers work, the Law Society of Scotland has said. The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill was lodged in April of last year. While many parts

The Law Society of Scotland says legislation to modernise the law around judicial factors provides for significant improvements when such arrangements are needed to safeguard money and other assets. MSPs voted earlier this week to give final stage three approval for the Judicial Factors (Scotland) B

The Law Society of Scotland has added to its paralegal accreditation programme with a new specialism for paralegals who work in banking and finance. The new certification is the 15th area of law recognised for paralegals and is the second accreditation in financial services as it joins the asset man

Growth for the Scottish legal sector has been maintained for a fourth consecutive year, with 764 new solicitor traineeships commencing in the past 12 months to the end of October 2024. The Law Society of Scotland data for the 2023-24 legal practice year is the third highest number of new trainees re

The Law Society of Scotland has urged MSPs to make further changes to proposed criminal justice legislation because of the risk of miscarriages of justice. Stuart Munro, the convener of the Law Society’s Criminal Law Committee, appeared before the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice C

The Law Society of Scotland’s commitment to diversity and inclusion has been recognised with an improved ranking in the Top 100 Inclusive UK Employers Index for 2024. The society has been ranked 76th in the 2024 list from the National Centre for Diversity, up from 84th place last year.

The Law Society of Scotland has commissioned a new research project to ensure it can best support smaller firms and the essential services they provide. Independent research company Taylor McKenzie will be contacting solicitors working in smaller firms, ranging from sole practitioners to firms emplo

An online system to assist trainees and junior solicitors in drafting legal correspondence has won the Law Society of Scotland’s 2024 Innovation Cup. The judges selected Andrew Logue – an Aberdeen-based associate with Clyde & Co – for his proposed tool to facilitate collaborati

The first round of a national school debating tournament has kicked off, with students across Scotland debating whether zoos should remain open. In the 25th year of the Law Society of Scotland’s Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament, the first round debates saw the motion “This house

Orkney solicitor Serena Sutherland has been nominated as president-elect 2026-27 of the Law Society of Scotland. Ms Sutherland was elected to the society's Council in July 2018, representing solicitors in Dingwall, Dornoch, Elgin, Inverness, Kirkwall, Lerwick, Lochmaddy, Portree, Stornoway, Tain and

Diane McGiffen is to leave her role as chief executive of the Law Society of Scotland in April 2025. She joined the Law Society as chief executive in January 2022, leading its work to support a modern, thriving solicitor profession and act in the public interest.

A new record has been set for the number of Scottish solicitors formally admitted to the profession in a single day.

A champion for social mobility within Scotland’s legal profession and a moderniser of Scottish conveyancing have been awarded honorary membership of the Law Society of Scotland. Christine McLintock and Ross MacKay have been recognised for their outstanding contribution to both the legal profes

Newly released official data suggests that demand for legal aid support is no longer able to be met by the shrinking pool of solicitors working in the scheme. The Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) 2023-24 annual report has been released, showing that funding for legal aid continues to trail inflation,