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Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

Please note:

All reference to 'Parts' and 'sections' are from the Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010. For other versions of these Explanatory Notes, see More Resources.

  1. Introduction

  2. The Act

  3. Overview of the Structure of the Act

  4. Commentary on Sections

    1. Part 1 – the Regulatory Objectives Etc.

      1. Section 1 – Regulatory objectives

        Section 2 – Professional principles

      2. Section 3 – Legal services

      3. Section 4 – Ministerial oversight

      4. Section 5 – Consultation by Ministers

    2. Part 2 – Regulation of Licensed Legal Services

      1. Chapter 1 – Approved Regulators

        1. Approved regulators

          1. Section 6 – Approved regulators

          2. Section 7 – Approval of regulators

          3. Section 8 – Pre-approval consideration

          4. Section 9 – Lord President’s agreement

          5. Section 10 – Authorisation to act

          6. Section 11 – Request for authorisation

        2. Regulatory schemes

          1. Section 12 – Regulatory schemes

          2. Section 13 – Reconciling different rules

        3. Licensing rules

          1. Section 14 – Licensing rules: general

            Section 15 – Initial considerations

          2. Section 16 – Other licensing rules

          3. Section 17 – Licensing appeals

        4. Practice rules

          1. Section 18 – Practice rules: general

            Section 19 – Financial sanctions

            Section 20 – Enforcement of duties

          2. Section 21 – Performance report

          3. Section 22 – Accounting and auditing

          4. Section 23 – Professional indemnity

        5. Compensation arrangements

          1. Section 24 – Choice of arrangements

          2. Section 25 – Compensation rules: general

          3. Section 26 – More about compensation arrangements

        6. Internal governance

          1. Section 27 – Internal governance arrangements

          2. Section 28 – Communicating outside

          3. Section 29 – More about governance

        7. Regulatory functions etc.

          1. Section 30 – Regulatory and representative functions

          2. Section 31 – Assessment of licensed providers

        8. Relationship with other bodies

          1. Section 32 – Giving information to SLAB

          2. Section 33 – Reporting to Law Society

          3. Section 34 – Steps open to Society

          4. Section 35 – Financial inspection by Society

        9. Performance and measures

          1. Section 36 – Review of own performance

          2. Section 37 – Monitoring by Ministers

          3. Section 38 – Measures open to Ministers

          4. Schedule 1 – Performance targets

          5. Schedule 2 – Directions

          6. Schedule 3 – Censure

          7. Schedule 4 – Financial penalties

          8. Schedule 5 – Amendment of authorisation

          9. Schedule 6 – Rescission of authorisation

        10. Ceasing to regulate

          1. Section 39 – Surrender of authorisation

          2. Section 40 – Cessation directions

          3. Section 41 – Transfer arrangements

            Section 42 – Extra arrangements

        11. Change of regulator

          1. Section 43 – Change of approved regulator

          2. Section 44 – Step-in by Ministers

        12. Additional functions etc.

          1. Section 45 – Additional powers and duties

          2. Section 46 – Guidance on functions

      2. Chapter 2 – Licensed Legal Services Providers

        1. Licensed providers

          1. Section 47 – Licensed providers

          2. Section 48 – Eligibility criteria

            Section 49 – Majority ownership

        2. Key duties and positions

          1. Section 50 – Key duties

          2. Section 51 – Head of Legal Services

          3. Section 52 – Head of Practice

          4. Section 53 – Practice Committee

        3. Appointment to position etc.

          1. Section 54 – Notice of appointment

          2. Section 55 – Challenge to appointment

          3. Section 56 – Disqualification from position

            Section 58 – Conditions for disqualification

          4. Section 57 – Effect of disqualification

        4. Designated persons

          1. Section 59 – Designated persons

            Section 61 – Listing and information

          2. Section 60 – Working context

        5. Non-solicitor investors

          1. Section 62 – Fitness for involvement

          2. Section 63 – Exemption from fitness test

          3. Section 64 – Factors as to fitness

          4. Section 65 – Ban for improper behaviour

          5. Section 66 – Behaving properly

          6. Section 67 – More about investors

        6. Discontinuance of services

          1. Section 68 – Duty to warn

          2. Section 69 – Inability to operate

          3. Section 70 – Safeguarding clients

          4. Section 71 – Distribution of client account

        7. Professional practice etc.

          1. Section 72 – Employing disqualified lawyer

          2. Section 73 – Concealing disqualification

          3. Section 74 – Pretending to be licensed

          4. Section 75 – Professional privilege

      3. Chapter 3 – Further Provision

        1. Achieving regulatory aims

          1. Section 76 – Input by the OFT

          2. Section 77 – Role of approved regulators

            Section 78 – Policy statement

        2. Complaints

          1. Section 79 – Complaints about regulators

          2. Section 80 – Levy payable by regulators

          3. Section 81 – Complaints about providers

        3. Registers and lists

          1. Section 82 – Register of approved regulators

            Section 83 – Registers of licensed providers

          2. Section 84 – Lists of disqualified persons

        4. Miscellaneous

          1. Section 85 – Privileged material

          2. Section 86 – Immunity from damages

          3. Section 87 – Appeal procedure

          4. Section 88 – Corporate offences

          5. Section 89 – Effect of professional or other rules

    3. Part 3 – Confirmation and Will Writing Services

      1. Chapter 1 – Confirmation Services

        1. Regulation of confirmation agents

          1. Section 90 – Confirmation agents and services

          2. Section 91 – Approving bodies

            Section 92 – Certification of bodies

          3. Section 93 – Regulatory schemes

          4. Section 94 – Financial sanctions

          5. Section 95 – Review of own performance

          6. Section 96 – Pretending to be authorised

        2. Other regulatory matters

          1. Section 97 – Revocation of certification

          2. Section 98 – Surrender of certification

          3. Section 99 – Register and list

        3. Ministerial functions

          1. Section 100 – Ministerial intervention

      2. Chapter 2 – Will Writing Services

        1. Regulation of will writers

          1. Section 101 – Will writers and services

          2. Section 102 – Approving bodies

            Section 103 – Certification of bodies

          3. Section 104 – Regulatory schemes

          4. Section 105 – Financial sanctions

          5. Section 106 – Review of own performance

          6. Section 107 – Pretending to be authorised

        2. Other regulatory matters

          1. Section 108 – Revocation of certification

          2. Section 109 – Surrender of certification

          3. Section 110 – Register and list

        3. Ministerial functions

          1. Section 111 – Ministerial intervention

          2. Section 112 – Step-in by Ministers

      3. Chapter 3 – Further Provision

        1. Section 113 – Regard to OFT input

        2. Section 114 – Complaints about services

        3. Section 115 – Privilege and immunity

        4. Section 116 – Appeals procedure

        5. Section 117 – Corporate offences

        6. Section 118 – Consequential modification

    4. Part 4 – the Legal Profession

      1. Chapter 1 – Applying the Regulatory Objectives

        1. Section 119 – Application by the profession

      2. Chapter 2 – Faculty of Advocates

        1. Section 120 – Regulation of the Faculty

        2. Section 121 – Professional rules

        3. Section 122 – Particular rules

      3. Chapter 3 – Solicitors and Other Representatives

        1. Removal of practising restrictions

          1. Section 123 – Licensed providers as qualified persons

          2. Section 124 – Practice rules for licensed providers

          3. Section 125 – Citizens advice bodies

        2. Lay representation

          1. Section 126 – Court of Session Rules

          2. Section 127 – Sheriff court rules

        3. Guarantee Fund

          1. Section 128 – Use of Guarantee Fund

          2. Section 129 – Contributions to the Fund

          3. Section 130 – Cap on individual claims

        4. The Law Society

          1. Section 131 – Acting as an approved regulator

          2. Section 132 – Council membership

          3. Section 133 – Regulatory committee

        5. The 1980 Act: further modification

          1. Section 134 – Keeping the solicitors roll etc.

          2. Section 135 – Removal from the roll etc.

          3. Section 136 – Restoration to the roll

          4. Section 137 – Suspension from practice

          5. Section 138 – Accounts rules fee

          6. Section 139 – Powers of Tribunal

      4. Chapter 4 – Other Bodies

        1. Scottish Legal Aid Board

          1. Section 140 – Exclusion from giving legal assistance

          2. Section 141 – Availability of legal services

          3. Section 142 – Information about legal services

        2. Scottish Legal Complaints Commission

          1. Section 143 – Relevant practitioners

          2. Section 144 – Minor amendments

          3. Section 145 – The 2007 Act: Further provision

    5. Part 5 – General

      1. Section 147 – Further modification

  5. Parliamentary History

  • Explanatory Notes Table of contents

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Explanatory Notes

Text created by the Scottish Government to explain what the Act sets out to achieve and to make the Act accessible to readers who are not legally qualified. Explanatory Notes were introduced in 1999 and accompany all Acts of the Scottish Parliament except those which result from Budget Bills.

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