Commission Opens for Business

The Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Kenny MacAskill welcomed the formation of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission as the office opened its doors for business on 1 October 2008.

SLCC Chief Executive Eileen Masterman commented: "As an organisation that is structured to be completely independent, impartial and accessible, it will bring a different approach to addressing legal complaints in Scotland. The complaint handling procedure has been drawn up from a 'clean sheet' and anyone taking a complaint forward will benefit from a single gateway approach and the opportunity to use the services of trained mediators at every stage."

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission was set up under the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007. The Commission is governed by a board composed of a non-lawyer chair plus four non-lawyer members and four lawyer members who are appointed by Scottish Ministers after consultation with the Lord President of the Court of Session.

Kenny MacAskill, the Justice Secretary said: "I want to congratulate everyone who has worked hard to get this new organisation off the ground. The Commission was an initiative of the previous administration, but one we were happy to support. I am determined to ensure that the legal profession in Scotland continues to thrive, and receive the respect it deserves for the good work it does. A modern, transparent, independent complaints resolution system is a key part of that. I have no doubt that the Commission will play a valuable role in safeguarding the rights of both the legal profession and users of the services they provide throughout Scotland."