Earlier this month, businesses, public bodies, trade unions, and civil society organisations across Great Britain were invited to help shape the Government’s next steps on equal pay reform.

The consultation invites insights on the Government’s approach to make the right to equal pay effective for ethnic minority and disabled people, establish an equal pay regulation and enforcement unit with the involvement of trade unions and ensure that outsourcing of services can no longer be used by employers to avoid paying equal pay.

The consultation will run until 27^th October. It can be found here.

Further details can be found here.

This feed was drawn from the Society of Solicitor Advocates website

Views are being sought on plans to reform the legal aid system, improving the service for the people who use it and the professionals who deliver it.

The Legal Aid Reform consultation sets out wide-ranging proposals to modernise the system, paving the way for a new Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill.

Legal aid provides publicly funded assistance to help people pursue or defend their civil legal rights or receive support with their legal defence when they could not otherwise afford to do so.

Proposals include simplifying processes, reducing duplication to support quicker decision making, improving access for those who use legal aid and providing greater autonomy for accredited solicitors.

“The proposed reforms build on work already underway and align with our wider programme of Public Service Reform, focusing on efficiency, value for money and improved outcomes through more streamlined and effective services,” said Minister for Victims and Community Safety Kirsten Oswald. “This consultation marks an important step in shaping the future of legal aid informed by the experience of those who rely on the system and the expertise of those who deliver it. I encourage all those with an interest to share their views.”

The Reforming Legal Aid consultation will run until 13^th October 2026

It can be found here.

This feed was drawn from the Society of Solicitor Advocates website

Millions of shoppers using Buy-Now, Pay-Later services will be better protected by new rules that came into force last week. 

Buying items with providers like Klarna, PayPal or Clearpay can be a useful tool to help people manage their finances, allowing consumers to spread the cost of purchases interest-free, typically at the point of online checkout. However, for too long, Buy-Now, Pay-Later users have had fewer rights than someone buying the same item with a credit card or a personal loan when seeking a refund after buying faulty goods.

From last week, Buy-Now, Pay-Later products are now regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), giving consumers protections in line with other forms of credit.

Under the new rules, providers must carry out affordability checks before offering credit, meaning no one should be borrowing what they cannot realistically afford to repay, helping people avoid getting into avoidable, unaffordable debt.

In addition, consumers seeking a refund for faulty goods now have clear, enforceable rights to claim one and anyone who falls into financial difficulty will be directed towards debt advice and support first, rather than being immediately handed to a debt collector.

Further details can be found here.

This feed was drawn from the Society of Solicitor Advocates website

The Scottish Sentencing Council is proposing limited revisions to two guidelines covering rape offences that came into force in March this year. This is to take into account forthcoming amendments to legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament.

The amendments relate to the court’s consideration of non-harassment orders and are introduced by sections 107 and 108 of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, which come into effect on 1^st September 2026.

The Council says it does not anticipate any direct impact on the Scottish criminal justice system from the amended guidelines.

Further details can be found on the Council's website here.

This feed was drawn from the Society of Solicitor Advocates website

Courts will be given tougher powers to impose Football Banning Orders (FBOs) in Scotland to include specific offences in an effort to improve the matchday experience and safety at games.

It comes as the analysis of a consultation on FBO legislation has been published.

There were 903 responses to the consultation, with organisations such as the SFA, SPFL and Police Scotland supporting an extension of the use of FBOs. Whilst a majority of fans who responded expressed concerns about expanding FBOs, fans also raised concern around the increase in the use of pyrotechnics and some reported witnessing serious incidences of inappropriate behaviour.

In response, Ministers will introduce legislation in the Scottish Parliament that will include targeted and specific measures to strengthen FBOs to cover behaviour such as the use of pyrotechnics, pitch invasions and throwing missiles.

“The vast majority of football fans attend matches to support their team and are a credit to their clubs. However, a small minority are compromising the fan experience and the safety of players, officials and all in attendance through anti-social and criminal behaviour,” said Community Safety Minister Kirsten Oswald. “Recent high profile incidents involving pitch invasions and the continued use of pyrotechnics demonstrate the challenges the police, football authorities and clubs face and have to deal with. This is why we will give courts more effective powers through Football Banning Orders to target dangerous and abusive behaviour.”

Further details can be found here.

This feed was drawn from the Society of Solicitor Advocates website

The Sheriffs Principal have published a new Practice Note which applies to all applications made to the Sheriff Court under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.

The AWI Practice Note, which comes into effect on 13^th July 2026, replaces all previous Practice Notes relating to the 2000 Act.

“The All Scotland Sheriff Court Practice Note is designed to assist practitioners, wherever they are in Scotland, to understand what the court requires of them and to create a consistency of practice in Scotland,” said Sheriff Principal Anwar KC. “The Practice Note has been informed by best practices which have developed across many sheriff courts as a result of engagement with local practitioners.”

Further details, including the Practice Note, can be found here.

This feed was drawn from the Society of Solicitor Advocates website

The Scottish Civil Justice Council has issued a further public consultation on proposals that would allow a party to request costs protection in all environmental cases.

Normally when someone loses a civil court case the losing party is found liable for the other sides’ expenses, subject to limits on what can be claimed. In certain environmental cases the court may, in the interests of justice, grant an Environmental PEO to limit the financial risk for that party. In practice that normally means the maximum that party must pay in expenses is capped at £5,000 if they were to lose their case.

Under the existing procedure such orders can only be sought in ‘judicial review’ proceedings and ‘statutory appeals’ within the Court of Session.  One of the proposals in this consultation is to extend the ability to seek such orders to civil actions raised in any Scottish court that challenge an act or omission regarding the law relating to the environment (except for actions under group procedure).

The Council in particular welcomes feedback from any individuals or organisations with an interested in environmental litigation, including those involved as a party in an environmental case where a motion for costs protection was made or considered by the court, including where such an order has limited the ability of the successful party to recover their full costs.

The announcement can be found here.

The consultation is here.

This feed was drawn from the Society of Solicitor Advocates website

His Majesty the King, on the recommendation of the First Minister, has appointed Sheriff Principal Aisha Anwar KC, the Right Honourable Dorothy Bain PC KC, Liam Ewing KC, Indranil (Julian) Ghosh KC and Christine O’Neill KC to the Office of Senator of the College of Justice.

Sheriff Principal Anwar KC, Liam Ewing KC, Indranil (Julian) Ghosh KC and Christine O’Neill KC will take up appointment on 24^th August 2026.   The Rt Hon. Dorothy Bain PC KC will take up appointment on 7^th January 2027.

“I warmly congratulate the five new Senators with whom I look forward to working,” said Lord Pentland, Lord President of the Court of Session. “Each new Senator brings a distinctive breadth of legal knowledge and professional experience, developed across a wide range of practice areas.  That diversity of expertise will be invaluable to them.”

The Lord President added that their contributions would help maintain the strength, integrity and independence of the court system.  He expressed confidence that the new Senators would support the continued provision of high quality justice for the people of Scotland.

Further details can be found here.

This feed was drawn from the Society of Solicitor Advocates website

The Scottish Government has announced that people diagnosed with mesothelioma will have fairer access to compensation under legislation to be brought forward this year.

Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer most commonly caused by exposure to asbestos. Over 2,700 people are diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK, including around 200 in Scotland.

The law will clarify when the three-year time limit for raising a claim begins, addressing a longstanding problem where the clock can run out before a patient even knows they have the disease.

The legislation will give effect to recommendations from the Scottish Law Commission for reform of the law of limitation in relation to certain asbestos-related situations.

"The current law on time limits can create real difficulties for people diagnosed with mesothelioma - potentially leaving them unable to seek a legal remedy through no fault of their own,” said Community Care Minister Alison Thewliss. “I am pleased to confirm that the Scottish Government will introduce legislation this year to address this so people with mesothelioma can take legal action."

This feed was drawn from the Society of Solicitor Advocates website

The Lord Advocate has introduced a revised and updated Prosecution Code, which sets out the framework used by Scotland’s independent prosecutors when making decisions about prosecution.

The revised Code came into effect on 22^nd June 2026 and is published on the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) website.

The update ensures that prosecutors continue to have a decision-making framework which reflects the current legal landscape and is aligned with the approach taken in other jurisdictions.

COPFS says that it reinforces transparency and accountability in prosecutorial decision-making and is intended to support consistency in decisions.

The previous Code provided for a two-stage prosecutorial test, based on whether there was sufficient corroborated evidence of the commission of a crime and the identity of the accused, and whether prosecutorial action was in the public interest.

Under the revised Code, the evidential test will include both legal sufficiency of evidence and whether there is a realistic prospect of conviction. The public interest test will remain.

The realistic prospect test means that, where there is a legal sufficiency of evidence, the prosecutor must be satisfied that an objective, impartial and reasonable jury, sheriff, or justice of the peace, properly directed and acting in accordance with the law, is more likely than not to convict the accused.

The revised Code can be found here.

The announcement is here.

This feed was drawn from the Society of Solicitor Advocates website