News In Focus
10 March 2010
Solicitors call on Society to widen referendum
A group of solicitors today signed a requisition to have the Law Society of Scotland poll its 10,500 members on whether it can continue to represent and promote the interests of solicitors, in addition to its statutory regulatory function.
Last Friday the Society's Council decided to call a referendum of solicitors on whether it should continue to support the proposals for new forms of business under the Legal Services (Scotland) Bill, the so called "Tesco law" provisions, following the requisition of a special general meeting by the Scottish Law Agents Society which wants to reverse the Society's current policy of support.
Now 64 solicitors from the Glasgow Bar Association, MacRoberts and Govan Law Centre have signed the call for the additional poll. They believe the Society would be unable to continue in its dual function in light of the bill, which gives the Scottish Government power to prescribe the number of non-solicitors on the Society's ruling Council, as well as set criteria for such appointments.
The President of the Law Society of Scotland has been asked to convene an urgent meeting in order to include this question on their own referendum ballot, due to take place later this month.
John McGovern, President of the Glasgow Bar Association, said: "Law Society reform is a major feature of the Legal Services Bill. It is vital there is a referendum to allow the profession to decide whether, given the threat to our independence from Government that the bill poses, it still thinks the Law Society should continue to represent, as well as regulate the profession."