Professor Kay Hampton joins SSDT, steps down from Law Society of Scotland’s ‘dictatorial’ ruling Council

THE Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal (SSDT) gets a new member as Professor Kay Hampton steps down from the Law Society of Scotland's Council today, 1 February, following her appointment to the Scottish Solicitors' Discipline Tribunal panel. Professor Hampton was among the first non-solicitors to be appointed as members of the Law Society's Council in 2011. While the Law Society Council had lay member observers for many years, non-solicitor members with full voting rights were appointed following the Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010.

Professor Hampton’s achievements & appointments are listed by the Law Society of Scotland as : Professor Kay Hampton - Professor in Community and Race Relations; Commissioner to the Scottish Human Rights Commission; Public Appointments Assessor, Commission on Ethical Standards for Public Appointments, Adjudicating Panel Member, General Teaching Council.; Trustee, SAMH Former Member of Children's Panel in Glasgow. Former Commissioner of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. Former Chair, Deputy Chair and Commissioner, Scotland and UK for the Commission for Racial Equality. Former Chair and UK Board Member for the Community Fund, Lottery Fund.

Recently appointed convener to the Society's audit committee, Liam McCabe, Director of Finance at the University of Stirling, will replace Professor Hampton on Council.

Austin Lafferty, president of the Law Society, said: "Kay deserves many congratulations on her appointment to the SSDT. While we are very sorry to lose such a talented and dedicated member of Council, I am very pleased to welcome Liam as the new convener of the audit committee and to the Society's Council."

Mr Lafferty added: "During the past 18 months Kay has been a wonderful ambassador for the Society and has made an immense contribution to both our regulatory and representative work as a Council member, as a member of our regulatory committee and as convener of the Society's equality and diversity committee. I'm pleased that Kay will continue to make a positive contribution to the development of the legal profession in Scotland through her new role with the SSDT.

"I'm equally pleased to congratulate Liam on his appointment as convener of the Society's audit committee and I look forward to working with him on Council. The calibre of those applying for the role was extremely high and we were struck by the range and depth of applicants' skills. The committee has an important role within the Society's governance structure and oversees the external auditing of the Society's finances and its risk management assessment."

Professor Hampton said: "I feel greatly privileged to have had the opportunity to work with respected colleagues at the Council and regret having to stand down from my activities at the Law Society. My time here has been exceedingly inspiring, empowering and positive.

"During my time at the Society, I experienced a genuine sense of commitment and professionalism on the part of staff and council members alike. I shall remain a positive ambassador for the Council and the Society."

Mr McCabe, who has a BA in accounting with business law, is a chartered public finance accountant and has extensive experience of audit committee work. He has also appeared on a number of occasions as a witness and given evidence to the Scottish Parliament's audit committee. He was appointed as convener of the Law Society's audit committee for a three year period in January 2013.

Liam McCabe said: "I'm delighted to have been appointed convener of the Society's audit committee. It's a very interesting time for the legal profession and the Law Society, as it is for Scotland as a whole, and I'm looking forward to joining Council and to working with the other audit committee members and everyone at the Society."

‘New’ faces on Law Society of Scotland’s 'dictatorial' ruling Council

Two ‘new’ faces have been announced for the Law Society of Scotland’s ruling ‘Council’ in the usual politburo style politics of Drumsheugh Gardens.

New faces on Law Society Council

Söla Paterson-Marke, of DLA Piper, has been co-opted to represent new lawyers, and Moira MacMillan, of Glasgow Caledonian University, has been co-opted to represent solicitors working as academics.

Söla, who qualified in 2011, said: "I am delighted to have been co-opted on to the Council as the member for new lawyers. It's great that new lawyers have a representative on the Council and I am honoured to have the opportunity to apply my energy and enthusiasm to this role.

"I will draw on my experience of working in other jurisdictions and being a former member of the executive committee of the Scottish Young Lawyers Association (SYLA) to help me in providing representation that will have a positive impact on new lawyers.  "In the not too distant past I was a diploma student looking for a traineeship and then a trainee trying to secure an NQ position, so I am well aware of the challenges that new lawyers face. With great challenge comes great opportunity and I will represent the views of new lawyers to the Council so that together we can create a profession which offers new lawyers a springboard to a fulfilling career.Initially, my main focus will be to encourage engagement. It's important that I, and the team at the Law Society, engage with groups such as the SYLA and TANQ, but as individuals we need to take an interest in the direction of our profession and that means I want to encourage discussion and the sharing of ideas amongst new lawyers on the major issues."

Heather McKendrick, the Society's new lawyer development officer, added: "We're delighted to welcome Söla to Council. He is brimming with ideas and enthusiasm for engaging with new lawyers, trainees and solicitors up to five years qualified.”

Söla graduated from University of Edinburgh in 2008 with LLB (Hons) and completed the Diploma at Edinburgh in 2009. Between graduating and starting his training contract he worked as a consultant in London, where he is now based with DLA Piper. One of his seats as a trainee was spent in Sydney.

Moira MacMillan is a Senior Lecturer in Law at Glasgow Caledonian University and is Programme Leader for the LLB. She is a member of Council of the Scottish Universities Law Institute and of the Diploma Coordinating Group.  At the Law Awards of Scotland 2009 she was named Law Lecturer of the Year. She trained as a solicitor within local government and also has experience of private practice.

Solicitors vote to reduce size of Law Society of Scotland’s ‘greedy, dictatorial’ ruling council, 9 appointed lay poodles remain in shake-up

PROVING yet again one member one vote does not exist in Scotland’s ten thousand strong legal profession, SIXTY EIGHT solicitors backed a motion reducing the size of the Law Society of Scotland’s governing  ‘Council’ to 46 members, down from the current 62, according to an announcement made by the Law Society today.

The amendments to the Society's constitution will deliver a Council made up of : 31 solicitor members elected from geographical constituencies ranging in size from Glasgow & Strathkelvin (5 members) to Perth (1 member), 6 co-opted members and 9 appointed lay poodles members. The changes will be phased in over a three-year period.

Law Society of Scotland Press Release :Solicitors back smaller Law Society Council

The Law Society of Scotland's ruling Council is to be reduced in size by around a quarter, members agreed at its annual general meeting today.

In a vote, a motion to amend the Society's constitution to establish a Council of 46 members, down from 62, was backed by 68 solicitors, with two against and three abstentions. A two-thirds majority was needed to pass the motion.

Bruce Beveridge, the Society's Vice President-elect and Convener of the Constitution Working Group, said the reform would streamline the decision-making process.

He added that a smaller Council had been supported during consultations with the membership.

He said: "The decision to reduce the size of the Council, part of the Society's ongoing modernisation process, will streamline the way we work while still allowing effective representation of solicitors.

"The profession is increasingly diverse and it is vital that all views and interests are properly represented on the Council. We will continue to work with our members to ensure the Society's processes and procedures are modern, effective and transparent."

Solicitors elected from geographical constituencies will continue to make up most of the Council, with up to six co-opted solicitor members also representing specific under-represented sectors or groups, and up to nine non-solicitor members.

Bruce Beveridge added that further reforms would be considered in the future, including the use of technology to increase participation in Society business.

However, reducing the size of Council further, as has been suggested by some, would require careful consideration and consultation with the profession and could risk damaging the effective representation of members, he said.

The AGM in Perth also heard a statement of the Society's accounts for 2011, approved draft practice rules and debated the issue of separate representation for borrowers and lenders in property transactions. The Society's Council had been minded to propose amending the Practice Rules to prevent solicitors acting for both lenders and borrowers in all transactions but agreed there should be further discussion with members at today's meeting. It was agreed that a working party would be set up which would engage with solicitors, lenders and public interest groups to promote standardised practices and procedures for security work. A follow up report will go to the SGM in September.

Law Society of Scotland parades its new ‘Yes Men’ Council members, ‘already decided’ election results to prop up 'bully boy regulator'

THE Law Society of Scotland, that ever so self serving institution which claims to represent both the legal profession & the public interest has announced its new complement of “yes men” (and women ! – Ed) to fill its Council and comply with the wishes of the bloated, over salaried & increasingly belligerent Edinburgh based regulator.

NEW MEMBERS TO JOIN LAW SOCIETY COUNCIL

At least four new members are set to join the Council of the Law Society of Scotland following this year's round of nominations and elections. Roughly one third of the elected element of Council is open to nomination and election each year with constituencies based on sheriffdom and sheriff court areas.

At the close of nominations for this year's election, those nominated in each constituency were as follows (with numbers of seats shown in brackets)

Ayr (1) - Stewart Sheddon*, Dumbarton (1) - David Newton*, Dundee (2) - Janet Hood** / Ken Swinton, Elgin & Nairn (1) - Neil Ross, Haddington, Peebles, Jedburgh, Duns and Selkirk (2) - Morris Anderson* / Kirstie MacNeill*, Inverness, Dingwall, Tain, Dornoch and Wick (1) - George MacWilliam*, Kilmarnock (1) - Andy Glencross*, Kirkwall, Lerwick, Portree, Lochmaddy and Stornoway (1) - Sheekha Saha*, Linlithgow (1) - Nyree Conway, Stirling, Falkirk and Alloa (2) - Ken Dalling* / John Mulholland / Alastair Ross ,*designates a sitting Council member **Ms Hood is currently a co-opted member of Council but will now sit as an elected member for Dundee

In the constituency of Stirling, Alloa and Falkirk, there were three nominations for two vacant positions.  There will now be an election amongst solicitors in that area to decide which two candidates will become members of Council. Postal ballot papers will be sent out this Friday (27 April) and the deadline for their return is 12 noon on Wednesday 9 May 2012.

Sitting Council members Ian Bryce (Linlithgow), Ian Cruickshank (Elgin & Nairn), John Hall (Dundee), David McClements (Stirling, Falkirk and Alloa) and Scott Milne (Dundee) have each chosen to step down from Council and not seek re-election this year.

President of the Law Society of Scotland, Cameron Ritchie said: "I would like to thank Ian Bryce, Ian Cruickshank, John Hall, David McClements and Scott Milne for all their work as members of Council. Collectively they have given over 30 years of service to the profession as Council members and all five will be missed from our Council meetings. I wish them well for the future. I also look forward to welcoming the new Council members who I am sure will make a great contribution and provide a fresh perspective.   Congratulations to those existing Council members who have been successfully re-elected and I am looking forward to hearing the outcome of the election in the Stirling, Falkirk and Alloa constituency. The Society's Council members do a tremendous amount of work on behalf of solicitors across Scotland, increasingly so in recent years as a result of the fast-paced rate of change within the legal sector and the additional pressures brought about by the downturn.  Council itself has changed significantly over recent years with around 40% of members having joined over the course of the last 18 months.  With a clear strategy and corporate plan, Council is focused on leading and supporting a successful, respected legal profession.  I am sure these new and returning Council members will be of huge help in meeting this objective over the coming years."

Stooges to Go : Law Society of Scotland appoints nine non-lawyers with voting rights to its ‘fundamentally dishonest’ ruling Council

THE Law Society of Scotland has announced the appointment of nine new non-solicitor members with full voting rights to its Council, the body which controls the Law Society and in turn, the solicitor membership of the Scottish legal profession. According to the Law Society’s Press Release, the nine come from “a diverse range of backgrounds including the civil service, education sector and construction industry”, providing the usual source of suspects the Council can rely on to always vote with it, unless pretence provides a reason otherwise (Sounds like more stooges to go! – Ed)

The new non-lawyer members to the Law Society’s Council are a product of the Scottish Government’s skewed attempt to widen access to justice via the Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010. A handful of non-solicitor members were also appointed to the society’s new “Regulation Committee”, reported on earlier this week by independent law journalist Peter Cherbi, HERE.

The changes brought about by the Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010 including the new non-lawyer appointments to the Council attracted significant criticism from within the profession, also causing a bit of a ‘pantomime split’ with elements of the Glasgow Bar Association criticising various aspects of the changes, and then failing yet again to follow through on threats of legal challenges, even after one of its former Presidents, solicitor John McGovern branded the Law Society “Fundamentally dishonest at its core”.

Cameron Ritchie, president of the Law Society of Scotland, said: "This is a hugely significant change for the Society and will play a clear role in reflecting our responsibility to the public interest in relation to the solicitors' profession."

Mr Ritchie added: "The calibre of those applying to join both the Council and the regulatory committee and the Society's Council was extremely high. I'm greatly looking forward to welcoming back two of our former lay observers and to meeting and working with our new lay Council members, all of whom have a tremendous amount of experience and specialist knowledge from each of their areas of expertise and will contribute greatly to the work of Council and the Society as a whole."

Public advertisements for the non-solicitor positions on Law Society of Scotland’s Council and the regulatory committee were advertised across the Scottish press and media, with appointments made following an interview process. No photographs of the new non-lawyer Council members have been issued by the Law Society, provoking further criticisms of people behind closed doors cloaked in anonymity deciding on important matters of legal concern to the legal profession and public.

Clearly, the motives of anyone wishing to join an organisation such as the Law Society which has been branded dishonest, has been linked to voting fiddles, bullying, political manipulation and even interference in criminal investigations, are perhaps a reflection on those who end up winning the offered positions.

A legal insider speaking on condition of anonymity said today that being a non lawyer member of the Law Society of Scotland was akin to being a member of the BNP (Now now, there are many in the legal profession, public life & public service in Scotland who are members of such parties as we all know but don't publish – Ed)

Solicitor members, from a range of geographical constituencies and specialist areas of the legal sector, will continue to make up an 80 percent majority of Council. Society members also approved constitutional amendments to create a new regulatory committee with 50% non-solicitor members and a non-solicitor convener at the Society's SGM on 27 May.

Backgrounds of the new ‘non-solicitor’ members of the Society's Council :

Martin Allan (Glasgow -construction industry and local authority officer) - career in the construction industry and holds two honours degrees in construction. Technical member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. Volunteer in both Citizens Advice Direct and Citizens Advice Bureau. Community member of a wide range of community organisations in Glasgow and the West of Scotland including Glasgow City Council, Drumchapel Anniesland Area Committee, West Glasgow Local Community Planning Partnership, West Glasgow Community Reference Group, West Glasgow Financial Executive Group, Glasgow Housing Association, Health Improvement Scotland Public Partnership and Health Improvement Scotland Disability Advisory Group.

Dr Bronwen Cohen (Edinburgh - Children in Scotland) Chief Executive of Children in Scotland and lay observer on the Council since 2006. Convener of the working party of the Council established to consider office bearer and convener remuneration.

Suzanne Dawson (Peebleshire - Marketing) - Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Self-employed freelance marketing and business consultant. Former Chair of Borders College board of management. Former Vice Convener and Board Director of Scotland's Colleges. Former member of the board of management of Stevenson College, Edinburgh. Current Non-Executive Director of the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Christopher Fraser (Inverness - Surveyor) - Chartered Surveyor. Lay reporter member of the Society's Complaints Committee from 1998 to 2006. Current lay member of the Professional Conduct Committee as well as a lay member of the Professional Practice Committee. Trustee of the Board of Management of Inverness Harbour Trust. Former lay member of the Multicentre Research Ethics Committee for the Health Department of the Scottish Executive.

James Gallagher (Edinburgh - Central Government) - Former Head of Department of the Scottish Executives Justice Department up to 2005. Former Director General Devolution; Prime Minister's Office and Ministry of Justice up to 2010. Current Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford University. Former Non-Executive Director of a number of Scottish Life Assurance companies and currently Non-Executive Director of Barclays Life and Windsor Life Assurance Companies. Current Non-Executive Director of Lothian & Borders Police Force.

Professor Stewart Hamilton (Switzerland - Accountancy) - Emeritus Professor of Accounting and Finance at IMD, Lausanne Switzerland. Lay observer on Council since 2006, Chairman of the Society's Audit Committee.

Professor Kay Hampton (Glasgow - Higher Education) - Emeritus Professor in Community and Race Relations at Glasgow Caledonian University. Commissioner to the Scottish Human Rights Commission. Member of Children's Panel in Glasgow. Former Commissioner of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. Former Chair, Deputy Chair and Commissioner, Scotland and UK for the Commission for Racial Equality. Former Chair and UK Board Member for the Community Fund, Lottery Fund.

Robin McGill (West Lothian - Engineering) - Engineer with business career with BP culminating in role as Managing Director, BP Grangemouth. Former Chief Executive of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE). Former Council Member of the Scottish Confederation for Business and industry (CBI) and former Board Member of the Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley as well as a Council Member for the Society of Engineering Institutions.

John Reid (Stirling - Intellectual Property and Manufacturing) - Businessman and currently working for Scottish Enterprise but returning to the Private Sector later in the year. Extensive background in intellectual property and heads the team at Scottish Enterprise which deals with the capitalisation of intellectual property assets. Former member of the Prime Minister's Initiative to Foster Business and commercial relationships with Eastern Europe.

Law Society of Scotland to appoint up to 10 non-lawyer Council members in window dressing exercise for Legal Services Act regulation

Up to 10 non-lawyers are to join Law Society’s Council to give an appearance of non-bias in regulation matters. NON-LAWYERS have never had it so good as the Law Society of Scotland announces it has decided to appoint up to ten of the lesser spotted stooges to join its ‘dictatorial’ Council, the body which issues the edicts which govern the Law Society’s membership and decide how the profession proceeds on key issues such as regulation, vote fiddling, parliamentary bullying lobbying and of course, how the public are treated on legal & justice issues (Haha – Ed).

The appointments come in the wake of proposals to create yet another regulatory committee with 50% non-lawyer membership to satisfy the requirements of the SNP Scottish Government’s Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010, the much watered down, expectedly poor, typically Scottish, perhaps even third rate equivalent of the UK Parliament’s Legal Services Act 2007 the aims of which were to open up competition in the legal services sector, also allowing majority ownership in law firms or new non-solicitor companies to enter the field of legal services provision.

In Scotland, there will be no such reforms to access to justice or expansion of consumer choice in legal services, and ownership of already established Scottish law firms is to be heavily restricted (would anyone be fool enough to want to own a Scots law firm ? – Ed)

The Law Society of Scotland issued the following Press Release on the subject :

Non-solicitor members to join Society's Council

The Council of the Law Society of Scotland is to include non-solicitors voting members for the first time, following changes approved at the Society's general meeting today (Friday 27 May)

Amendments to the Law Society of Scotland's constitution allowing for the appointment of up to 10 non-solicitor Council members were approved unanimously. Other amendments to create a new regulatory committee with 50% non-solicitor membership and a non-solicitor convener were also passed at the general meeting held in Edinburgh. The Society presently has three non-solicitor observers who can speak at Council meetings but cannot vote. An opinion from Senior Counsel confirmed that the Society's constitution had to change in order to allow for non-solicitor voting members of Council as required in the Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010.

The new constitution presented to members at the AGM in March included provision for full non-solicitor voting members of Council as well as other changes. However, the motion to rescind the existing constitution failed to achieve the required two thirds majority support and the motion for the new constitution was withdrawn. The decision was therefore taken to bring forward a more limited series of constitutional amendments to today's special general meeting to meet the requirements placed on the Society by the Legal Services (Scotland) Act.

Following the meeting, Jamie Millar, outgoing president of the Law Society of Scotland, said: "Given the Society's important responsibilities towards the public interest, the Scottish Government made it clear that non-solicitors should be sitting on and voting as part of our ruling Council. Our three non-solicitor observers on Council already make a tremendous contribution and I have no doubt the Society will benefit even more from having full voting non-solicitor Council members."

Society members also approved constitutional amendments to create a new regulatory committee with 50% non-solicitor members and a non-solicitor convenor. The Society had received conflicting legal advice on whether constitutional change was required to create this new committee, as required by the Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010. Council therefore chose to remove any ambiguity by bringing forward amendments to the existing constitution at today's general meeting. These amendments were approved unanimously.

Today's special general meeting also included a general discussion on a draft new constitution, which has been amended significantly from that considered by members earlier in the year.

Jamie Millar added: "We listened carefully to the concerns expressed by members during the AGM two months ago. We have also met with a number of groups within the profession including representatives of the Scottish Law Agents Society and I hope the changes made since March help to respond to these genuine issues of concern. Today's general meeting has given us another important opportunity to consult with and listen to our members. We still plan to bring a new constitution forward for adoption at the next general meeting in September and we will be undertaking further dialogue with members over the next few months."