SLCC welcomes Court of Session ruling on its approach to complaints
The SLCC has welcomed the Court of Session ruling upholding the approach the Commission had taken to deal with complaints formerly categorised as ‘hybrid’.
SLCC comment on Court of Session appeal judgment
We have only received the court’s decision this morning, and have not had time to consider it fully. We had always believed that the action we had taken, on the basis of our legal advice, was in the best interests of those complainers and practitioners currently within our process. Having said that, the SLCC’s Board will be meeting early next week to discuss the Judgment in detail and consider whether this will have an impact for current or future complaints. We will proved further comment after that meeting.
SLCC releases new guide for the public on Family Law – the second biggest area of legal complaints
To celebrate International Family Day the SLCC has today published an updated version of its Family Law consumer guide. The guide, which was first published in 2015, is aimed at helping consumers be aware of the common problems which give rise to complaints and how to avoid these.
SLCC welcomes review of the regulation of legal services in Scotland
The SLCC has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs of a review of how best to reform and modernise the statutory framework for the regulation of legal services and complaints handling in Scotland.
Rising Complaint Numbers Prompt Increase In Annual Levy
The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission has approved a 12.5% increase in the annual levy Scottish solicitors pay to fund the system which deals with complaints against them. The rise, approved last week by the SLCC’s Board, follows a significant growth in the numbers of complaints about lawyers and costs coming from recent court rulings and the ongoing uncertainty they have caused.
Comment on Law Society of Scotland response to SLCC budget consultation
"We are obviously disappointed at the stance taken by the Law Society of Scotland. The underlying reason for the proposed levy increase is a 12% rise in complaints against lawyers over the past year, many of which are complex cases that take significant resources to resolve. After five years of SLCC discounting fees by using reserves we now have no choice but to increase it in order to continue serving the public properly."
SLCC welcomes independent review of legal aid system
The SLCC welcomes the independent review of legal aid announced by the Scottish Government.
SLCC Comments on Draft Gender Representation on Public Boards Bill
The SLCC has welcomed the Scottish Government’s Draft Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Bill, and made a number of comments to promote further discussion.
Consumers and legal professionals offered chance to have say on resolving disputes
Scotland’s independent body for complaints about lawyers has called on members of the public and legal professionals to work with it on shaping how legal disputes are handled. The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) today launched a consultation on its Operating Plan and budget for 2017/18 – this follows the launch last year of its strategy which sets out the priorities of the Commission up to June 2020.
New SLCC board member appointments announced
Four new SLCC board member appointments have been announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson. The appointments, of two lawyer members and two non-lawyer members, are for five years and follow on from three previous appointments in 2016.
Three appeal case successes for SLCC
In December 2016, the SLCC was successful in defending three ‘leave to appeal’ cases in the Inner House of the Court Session. The cases related to three complaints made to the SLCC, raised by two different complainers.
Change to SLCC time limit for making a complaint
The SLCC has announced changes to the time limits for people making a complaint about a lawyer and/ or the adequacy of legal services in Scotland.