The Client Protection Fund is the former operating name of the Scottish Solicitors' Guarantee Fund. It exists to protect clients who have lost money because of the dishonesty of a solicitor or a member of their staff. The fund is paid for entirely by an annual levy paid by solicitor firms and is managed and run by the Law Society of Scotland.
As part of our oversight function we have the ability to monitor and make recommendations on the effectiveness (including improvement) of the Client Protection Fund to the Law Society of Scotland.
The SLCC has undertaken various projects to date in relation to this area of its oversight:
- In 2009 the SLCC commissioned the University of Manchester to undertake research into a comparison of the differences in perceptions of the Fund and the Master Policy between legal practitioners and members of the public. You can read the research here: Research Report July 2009
- In 2011 two distinct projects were commissioned in relation to the Guarantee Fund to look at (a) the experience of claimants, and (b) a statistical analysis of claims. If you are interested in reading the full text of the research it is available here:
Progressive Guarantee Fund Report 2011 (227 KB)
University of Manchester Guarantee Fund Report 2011 (181 KB)
- In 2012, an audit was undertaken by the SLCC of Guarantee Fund claims. You can read the report here: SLCC audit of Guarantee Fund 2012 (pdf, 178KB).