News In Focus
2 September 2010
Campaigning committee marks debut meeting
The Law Society of Scotland's new Access to Justice Committee meets for the first time today in Glasgow, under the convenership of recently elected Council member Mike Dailly.
With an equal number of qualified lawyers and lay people with experience of working for legal rights, Mr Dailly, principal solicitor at Govan Law Centre, said the committee would be looking for "radical improvements" in Scotland's justice system.
He commented: "It's a great honour to have been appointed by the Council of the Law Society of Scotland to convene its new Access to Justice Committee.
"We've brought together an outstanding group of Scottish access to justice champions, which includes solicitors, solicitor advocates, advocates, anti-poverty and social justice campaigners, trade unionists, welfare rights specialists, and experts in rights based advocacy and community empowerment.
"This is a committee of the 'coalface', members with direct experience of the myriad of access to justice problems that many citizens face every day in Scotland. We're going to take a fresh approach. Our job is to identify and demand radical improvements so that Scotland's system of civil and criminal justice is fit for its people, its communities, and the 21st century."
In addition to Mr Dailly, the legal practitioner members are Patrick McGuire, solicitor advocate with Thompsons, whose career has been seeking compensation for victims of accidents, injury and disease; John McGovern, solicitor advocate with McGovern Solicitors and current President of the Glasgow Bar Association; Robert Sutherland, advocate and convener of the Scottish Legal Action Group; and Frances McCartney, solicitor and board member of the Environmental Law Centre Scotland.
The lay members are Dave Moxham, Deputy General Secretary, Scottish Trades Union Congress; Danny Phillips, board member of Child Poverty Action Group; Geraldine Cotter, manager of Money Matters Advice Centre; Bob Hay of Glasgow University Student Representative Council, who has worked with a range of voluntary agencies and organisations on a consultancy basis; and Phyllis Craig, a senior welfare rights officer at Clydeside Action on Asbestos.