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SYLA: ... representingOne of the key roles of the SYLA is to represent the interests of Scottish young lawyers. This page will keep you updated on what we’ve been doing in our role as a representative and what's been happening which impacts on young lawyers. The SYLA can voice your concerns on your behalf - anonymously if you prefer. We'll treat anything you send us as confidential. If you have any concerns you'd like us to raise please Contact Us. Click on the links below for more info on what we’re involved in:
Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill - UPDATED This deals with the establishment of a Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) to handle service complaints against lawyers. The SYLA agree that a independent complaints body should be established however we had some real concerns about how the Bill proposed to do that and had strong views about how it could affect young Scottish lawyers, for example: “...With the added financial burden facing partners, both in increased fines and levies, and without any financial accountability of the commission to the profession, it is likely that they will be less willing to recruit trainees and young assistants…” As a result of the representation made on behalf of the profession including the Law Society; SYLA; many firms; and individuals the executive did back down on many of the key points. In fact there were over 300 amendments by the time the Bill was put forward to its final stages. It has now gone through the parliament and concerns about the charging of fees to solicitors and advocates for complaints not upheld; and concerns about ECHR compatibility have been addressed. The new Scottish Legal Complaints Commission will deal with service complaints from 2008 onwards when the legislation comes into force. Further information and details of roadshows being run by the Law Society to explain the working of the Commission can be found on the Law Society’s website: http://www.lawscot.org.uk. [top] Law Society's Professional Legal Education and Training Review and Consultation "Shaping the Future of Legal Education" The story so far: - UPDATED The consultation into the future of the profession took place over the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007. SYLA were heavily involved in putting forward the views of the younger members of the profession. Past-president Richard Pugh was involved in a pilot run of the on-line questionnaire that was eventually rolled out to the profession. The association also held an internet café event at the Easy Internet Café on Rose Street, Edinburgh to encourage young lawyers to complete the questionnaire. We have been through the process most recently so know the flaws as well as anyone! The event was well attended and our views were certainly taken account of on the back of it! The Law Society are now collating the information provided by the profession and intend reporting soon. They’ll be issuing a “Green Paper” in February 2008 for consultation and then a “White Paper” in April 2008. Once that report is available then, depending on its contents SYLA will prepare an appropriate response. We would of course encourage all young lawyers to take part in this process and let us know what you think. We are provided with regular updates on progress by Neil Stevenson at the Law Society and would be more than happy to discuss these with you. You can also check progress on the Law Society's site SYLA will continue to be involved with the progression on this so if you have any views about how you think things could be improved for the better, please Contact Us. This could turn out to be quite a dramatic change to the current system – hopefully one which will successfully resolve all the current issues with the Diploma etc without increasing the financial burden on students/trainees. The 2006-2007 Consultation covered:
[top] Civil Legal Aid Simplification - NEW The SYLA is aware that many younger members of the profession are turning their backs on Legal Aid. This is because of a combination of factors but it includes the fact that much legal aid practice is seen as “form filling”. The Legal Aid Board is aware of this and have therefore invited the SYLA to be represented on an external reference group to discuss how Civil Legal Aid practice might be simplified. Some of the other groups that are represented include the Law Society, the Faculty of Advocates, the Family Law Association and the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. We very much believe in the need for provision of legal services to people who cannot afford them, but we are also committed to a system that young lawyers want to practice within. If you have any comments on Civil Legal Aid then please let us know. We would be delighted to hear them and pass them on to those who might be able to do something about them! [top] Trainees and Qualified Lawyers – We want to hear from you! We’re interested to hear about any issues or opinions you have about working conditions, part-time legal work, working hours, flexible working conditions and work/life balance. If you have any views we really want to hear them so please Contact Us. [top] From 1 June 2006 the Law Society’s recommended minimum trainee
salaries are: £15,000 (1st year) and £18,000 (2nd year) –
up from £14,000 and £16,000 in 2006. We definitely think this
is a move in the right direction although this was a smaller increase than in 2006 (as the 2005 rates were £12,000 and £15,700)! Watch this space for future news about
trainee salaries. Don’t forget that the Law Society review the rates annually so if you have any views about the rates and, in particular, how they compare with other jurisdictions and other graduate salaries, then please Contact Us so we can do something about it! [top] The Professional Competency Course (PCC) A questionnaire was circulated by the SYLA in 2002 and the responses were used to write a letter to the President of the Law Society of Scotland on concerns with the situation and lack of clarity. The letter was published in The Journal of the Law Society of Scotland. As a result of concerns raised at both the Education and Training Committee and the Student/Liaison Committee a hardship fund was set up to cover travel and accommodation costs for those Trainees outwith travelling distance of a provider. Overall feedback on the PCC courses to date has continued to be mixed, so clearly there is room for improvement. If you have any views on the PCC, would like to share your own experiences or would like us to raise particular concerns with the Law Society on your behalf then please Contact Us. [top] In 2005 the SYLA were involved in inputting ideas into a booklet which was developed to provide information to students in the early years of their degree on things they need to know about the Diploma, about getting a job, about the legal profession etc. We think this is something really positive as there is an information gap at the moment. For example many law students don’t know until it’s too late that their First and Second year exam results could determine whether or not they get Diploma funding. We’re hoping to get involved in the 2006 booklet as well and, if possible, publish it on this site for our student members. (2005) [top] The Law Society has a long term plan to review the current LLB course. We will update this section when more information is available. [top] We thought you might be interested in an article published in the Scotland on Sunday on 27th August 2006 about the growth of women in the legal and medical professions. Two of our Committee members, Samara Shah and Marie-Claire Brown, contributed to this. Some key quotes from the article are: “Ally McBeal does represent one important truth - the unstoppable
rise of women in what was once a heavily male profession.” [top] |
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