Great strides forward, Murray tells AGM

President hails "year of significant progress" for Law Society of Scotland

News, 18 March 2005

Scottish Solicitors have witnessed "a year of significant progress at the Society and a profession in good shape", according to Duncan Murray, President of the Law Society of Scotland.

Mr Murray was delivering his report to the Law Society of Scotland's AGM in Edinburgh today, before an audience of solicitors from across Scotland.

He also spoke of the economic value generated by the profession, saying: "It may not be acknowledged but Scottish solicitors make a major contribution to the Scottish economy.

"The profession contributes nearly £1 billion in fee income together with the major contribution from lawyers employed in commerce and in local and national government to the running of businesses and public life.

"One hears much about corporate social responsibility today. If we adopt the line of those who take the first aspect of their responsibility to be to support and provide for their own employees, we are doing a terrific job. Over 20,000 people are employed supporting lawyers in Scotland.

"If our business were in another sector, we would be trumpeted as a success story. It is a success story and we should be proud of the work we do and the contribution we make to Scottish life."

The President declared that the Society has had one of its most productive ever years with real strides being made in modernising its complaints procedures, the OFT endorsement of the Society's Professional Indemnity Policy and a tremendous contribution from the Society's Law Reform team in assisting the Scottish Parliament to make new laws for people in Scotland.

The solicitors attending the AGM approved the Annual Report of the Society, discussed a series of new rules and agreed to a motion to review the current compulsory Continuing Professional Development system.

Five new practice rules which focus on business and regulation were approved by the AGM:

- The Draft Solicitors (Scotland) (Client Communication) Practice Rules 2005 which stipulate that clients must be given written information on the work to be done for them, who will do that work and how it will be charged - already compulsory in some areas of work;

- The Draft Solicitors (Scotland) (Client Relations Partner) Practice Rules 2005, which make it compulsory (rather than recommended) for all firms to have a client relations partner who can resolve any client dissatisfaction at source;

- The Draft Solicitors (Scotland) (Multi-National Practices) Practice Rules 2005, a long awaited and important development promoted by the Society for many years. It is good news for practices with cross-border work and will avoid the current bureaucratic hoops for opening offices outwith Scotland with solicitor partners who are not members of the Law Society of Scotland. This will also encourage Scottish firms to develop and modernise their business structures, and allow them to promote lawyers from outside Scotland to partner status;

- The Draft Solicitors (Scotland) (Principal Place of Business Rules) Practice Rules 2005, which work alongside the Multi-national Practice Rules to decide the principal place of business of a multi-national practice so that regulatory and practice arrangements are clear;

- The Draft Solicitors (Scotland) (Registered Foreign Lawyers) etc Practice Rules 2005, which set the regulatory regime for registered foreign lawyers in Scotland.