NEWS

The Judicial Office for Scotland is redeveloping its website to make sure that it meets the needs of those who access it and the various stakeholders who rely on it. This redevelopment is vital given the Lord President’s regulatory functions will be significantly expanded by the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2025.

Background

The Lord President is the oversight regulator of the legal profession in Scotland. This means that he oversees the day-to-day regulation by the Faculty of Advocates, Law Society of Scotland, the Scottish Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and Association of Construction Attorneys. The Lord President considers it essential that he continues to be transparent about what his regulatory functions are and how he exercises them.

The Lord President will be given a number of new functions under the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2025, including powers to review and sanction regulators. The redeveloped website will be especially important in communicating key messages about the Lord President’s regulatory role and launching consultations, as required, under the 2025 Act.

The Lord President has consistently made clear his commitment to promoting open justice and that the principles of open justice are effectively and consistently applied. The Lord President is also keen for creative use of technology to promote greater understanding of the judiciary, courts and tribunals.

Sharing your views about the current website and its redesign

While some individuals and organisations have been contacted directly to participate, the Judicial Office would also like to hear from other people who access the website to understand their experiences and how that experience could be improved. The findings of this research will help to inform the redesign of the website.

We would be very grateful if you could please spend a few moments of your time completing this short survey. This survey will close on Wednesday 2 September 2026 at 5pm.