Lord Ericht welcomes in new era of legal regulation at SLCC
SLCC Chair, Jane Malcolm welcomed Regulatory Judge, Lord Ericht, to the SLCC offices so he could hear more about the organisation’s work and the transformation programme underway to implement the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2025.
Lord Ericht also met with newly appointed Consumer Panel Chair, Ann McKechin, and members of the Panel to discuss its role in bringing the voice of the consumer to the regulatory system.
As part of the first tranche of changes to be introduced by the new legislation, on 1 July 2026 the independent Consumer Panel saw a significant expansion of its remit across the whole regulatory sector. That includes the ability to make recommendations in relation to regulatory functions which the SLCC, the regulators and the Lord President exercise.
The legislation also introduces new regulatory objectives that apply to the work of the Lord President, the SLCC, and all the regulatory authorities in the sector, setting common objectives about how regulation should operate and what it should seek to achieve. The SLCC recently published a regulatory statement setting out how it will apply those objectives to its work.
The visit comes more than a year on from the passage of the legislation, as bodies across the system, including the Lord President, the SLCC and the regulators, prepare to implement new powers, duties and functions to reform the regulatory system for legal services.
Commenting on the visit, Consumer Panel Chair, Ann McKechin, said, “I’m grateful for Lord Ericht’s keen interest in the Panel’s work as we take on our new responsibilities. Today’s meeting was a very welcome opportunity to build closer links across the regulatory system to benefit consumers of legal services.”
SLCC Chair, Jane Malcolm added, “I was delighted to welcome Lord Ericht to the SLCC office to meet with staff and board members, and members of the Consumer Panel.
“It’s great to be building the working relationships which will make the reformed regulatory system work for everyone. We all found it really helpful to hear from Lord Ericht about the Lord President’s new powers, and how our work fits within the wider regulatory system that protects the public and drives confidence in legal services in Scotland.”