PE405, from Mr James Duff, concerns complaints against solicitors. Mr Duff has provided background information on his personal case; indeed, he has provided additional information that the Public Petitions Committee received today. The clerk has copies of that additional information, if members are interested in seeing it.We cannot get involved in Mr Duff's individual case, because that is not this committee's role. However, the petitioner raises the issue of the failure of the Law Society of Scotland to investigate his complaints about the handling of his case since 1984. Members may recall that similar issues were raised in PE361, from Scotland Against Crooked Lawyers, which is being considered by the Justice 1 Committee as part of its inquiry into the regulation of the legal profession. It is suggested that, given the related subject matter, we should refer PE405 to the Justice 1 Committee for consideration as part of that inquiry. Is that agreed?
Official Report · Committee
New Petitions
Complaints against Solicitors (PE405)
Speakers
Choose an MSP to read only their contributions- John McAllion Lab 3
- Dorothy-Grace Elder SNP 2
- Phil Gallie Con 1
- Dr Winnie Ewing SNP 1
The record
7 contributionsPoor Mr Duff. His case is like the opening chapters of Dickens's "Bleak House", in which people go round endlessly thinking that they can get justice out of the system.Taxpayers in Scotland pay billions on the civil side, never mind the criminal side, to uphold a system that has reduced people—after a decade of fighting—to heaven knows what state of ill health.
The issue is serious.
Once again, I echo Dorothy-Grace Elder's words to a degree. Time and again we come across such cases. Somewhere along the line, it must be recognised that in the long term people will not accept what they see as in-house scrutiny. We have dealt with similar matters—we are considering independent police review committees and so on. The volume of petitions that must be hanging around out there underlines the importance of Mr Duff's point.
I positively object to the people who lobby outside our Parliament and who call all lawyers crooked. I am a member of the Law Society of Scotland and I am incensed, because a lot of my work was done pro bono—for nothing. I am absolutely furious at the use of the word "crooked". I have always been in favour of ending in-house scrutiny, but I object to those people and to the way in which they behave outside the Parliament. I wish to goodness that they did not have the credibility of the name being there as if it was a respectable body.
They are desperate people.
Mr Duff is not necessarily part of Scotland Against Crooked Lawyers. He petitioned the Parliament independently, so the remarks that Dr Ewing made do not refer to him. Is it agreed that we pass PE405 to the Justice 1 Committee?Members indicated agreement.
In this meeting
Everything on 6 Nov 2001 →- Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee Tuesday 6 November 2001 (Morning) Petitions · 2
- New Petitions Petitions · 48
- New Petitions Petitions · 51
- New Petitions Petitions · 31
- New Petitions Petitions · 32
- New Petitions Petitions · 1
- New Petitions Petitions · 7
- New Petitions Petitions · 1
- New Petitions Petitions · 3
- New Petitions Petitions · 5
- New Petitions Petitions · 5
- Current Petitions Petitions · 9
- Current Petitions Petitions · 8
- Current Petitions Petitions · 2
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