Special General Meeting

Report of the special general meeting of the Society held on 29 August 2003

The Journal, September 2003, page 44

Practising Certificate subscriptions for 2003/2004

The Special General Meeting approved the Practising Cerificate subscriptions for the next Practising Certificiate Year commencing 1st November 2003. The annual subscription payable by each member of the Society holding a Practising Certificate will be £483. The subscription payable by a newly admitted solicitor in respect of the first three years in which he/she is in practice will be half the annual subscription.

The Special General Meeting also agreed the subscription for non-practising members which will be £110 for 2003/2004. The Special General Meeting also agreed that the statutory retention fee wil be £45.

The annual subscription to the Scottish Solicitors’ Guarantee Fund was fixed at £250 at the Special Geneal Meeting. The annual subscription for a Licence under the incidental investment business regime was also fixed at the meeting and for 2003/2004 will be as follows:-

1. The charge per individual firm licensed for incidental investment business will be £100; and 2. The charge for each individual person licensed for incidental investment business will be £80.

Solicitors (Scotland) (Civil Legal Aid and Advice and Assistance) Practice Rules 2003

The Special General Meeting also approved the above draft Rules which will provide the statutory framework for the proposed Quality Assurance Scheme for Civil Legal Aid work which will take effect from 1st October 2003. The Rules were made at the Council Meeting following the Special General Meeting and the Society will now seek the approval of the Lord President for these Rules.

Solicitors (Scotland) (Cross-Border Code of Conduct) Practice Rules 2003

The above draft Rules were also approved at the Special General Meeting and were thereafter made by the Council. These Rules similarly have to be approved by the Lord President before coming into force. The Rules will replace the existing Solicitors (Scotland) (Cross-Border Code of Conduct) Practice Rules 1989. The new Rules have revised the definition of “the Code” so that every time there is a change in the Code of Conduct for lawyers in the European Union there does not require to be a change in the Practice Rules. The Code will be published in future on an annual basis in the Parlaiment House Book and the Solicitors Professional Handbook and is available on the CCBE website - www.ccbe.org

Resolution to amend the Constitution of the Society

The Special General Meeting also approved the Motion to amend the Society’s Constitution at Articles 22 and 25. The amendments will provide greater clarity as to the Council’s powers to appoint Committees and Sub-Committees as well as the Council’s powers to constitute Standing Orders.