<EN xmlns="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/namespaces/legislation" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xml:base="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/namespaces/legislation http://www.legislation.gov.uk/schema/en.xsd" SchemaVersion="1.0" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/5/notes" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/notes"><ukm:Metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:ukm="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/namespaces/metadata">
				<dc:identifier>http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/5/section/55/notes</dc:identifier><dc:subject>Professional associations</dc:subject><dc:subject>Business associations</dc:subject><dc:subject>Consumer complaints</dc:subject><dc:subject>Compliments and complaints (council)</dc:subject><dc:subject>Legal aid and advice</dc:subject><dc:title>Explanatory Notes to Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act (asp 5) which received Royal Assent on 19 January 2007</dc:title><dc:creator>Scottish Government</dc:creator><dc:publisher>King's Printer for Scotland</dc:publisher><dc:modified>2018-07-30</dc:modified>
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</ukm:DocumentClassification><ukm:Year Value="2007"/><ukm:Number Value="5"/><ukm:ISBN Value="9780105911265"/></ukm:ENmetadata>
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<Title><Citation URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5" id="c00001" Class="ScottishAct" Year="2007" Number="0005">Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act (asp 5) which received Royal Assent on 19 January 2007</Citation></Title>
<Number>5</Number>
<DateOfEnactment>
<DateText>19 January 2007</DateText>
</DateOfEnactment>
</ENprelims><Body><Division id="d00003" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/5/notes/division/3" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/notes/division/3"><Title>Commentary on Sections</Title><CommentaryPart id="n00048" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/5/notes/division/3/2" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/notes/division/3/2"><Title><CitationSubRef id="c00188" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/part/2" CitationRef="c00001" SectionRef="part-2">Part 2</CitationSubRef> – Conduct Complaints: Other Matters</Title><CommentaryP1 id="n00071" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/5/notes/division/3/2/9" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/notes/division/3/2/9">
<Title><CitationSubRef id="c00228" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/section/55" CitationRef="c00001" SectionRef="section-55">Section 55</CitationSubRef>: Report by Commission to Council under <CitationSubRef id="c00230" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/section/10/2/e" CitationRef="c00001" SectionRef="section-10-2-e">section 10(2)(e)</CitationSubRef></Title>
<NumberedPara id="paragraph-143" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/5/notes/paragraph/143" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/notes/paragraph/143"><Pnumber>143</Pnumber><Para>
<Text><CitationSubRef id="c00232" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/section/10/2/e" CitationRef="c00001" SectionRef="section-10-2-e">Section 10(2)(e)</CitationSubRef> of the Act provides a power for the Commission when upholding a services complaint to make a report to the relevant professional organisation where it considers the practitioner concerned lacks competence in an area of law or legal practice.  In view of the responsibility of the professional bodies for legal education and training, the decision on whether or not remedial education or training is actually required rests with the professional organisation.</Text>
</Para></NumberedPara>
<NumberedPara id="paragraph-144" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/5/notes/paragraph/144" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/notes/paragraph/144"><Pnumber>144</Pnumber><Para>
<Text><CitationSubRef id="c00234" URI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/section/55" CitationRef="c00001" SectionRef="section-55">Section 55</CitationSubRef> inserts provisions into the <Abbreviation Expansion="Solicitors (Scotland) Act 1980 c. 46">1980 Act</Abbreviation> and the <Abbreviation Expansion="Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990 c. 40">1990 Act</Abbreviation> to provide powers for the Council to deal with reports from the Commission indicating that a solicitor or a conveyancing or executry practitioner does not have sufficient competence in relation to any aspect of the law or legal practice.</Text>
</Para></NumberedPara>
<CommentaryDivision id="n00072" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/5/notes/division/3/2/9/1" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/notes/division/3/2/9/1">
<Title>Sections 42ZC of the 1980 Act and 20ZD of the 1990 Act</Title>
<NumberedPara id="paragraph-145" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/5/notes/paragraph/145" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/notes/paragraph/145"><Pnumber>145</Pnumber><Para>
<Text>Where the Council receives such a report about a solicitor, it may direct the solicitor to undertake such education or training as regards the law or legal practice as it considers appropriate in the circumstances.  In the case of conveyancing or executry practitioners, the Council’s direction would relate to education or training as regards conveyancing law or legal practice or, as the case may be, executry law or legal practice.</Text>
</Para></NumberedPara>
<NumberedPara id="paragraph-146" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/5/notes/paragraph/146" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/notes/paragraph/146"><Pnumber>146</Pnumber><Para>
<Text>The Council must intimate such a direction to the solicitor or the conveyancing or executry practitioner by notice in writing and require the solicitor or conveyancing or executry practitioner to give an explanation within 21 days of the steps taken to comply with the direction.  The notice ceases to have effect pending the outcome of any appeal against the direction.</Text>
</Para></NumberedPara>
</CommentaryDivision>
<CommentaryDivision id="n00073" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/5/notes/division/3/2/9/2" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/notes/division/3/2/9/2">
<Title>Sections 42ZD of the 1980 Act and 20ZE of the 1990 Act</Title>
<NumberedPara id="paragraph-147" DocumentURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2007/5/notes/paragraph/147" IdURI="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/asp/2007/5/notes/paragraph/147"><Pnumber>147</Pnumber><Para>
<Text>Solicitors or conveyancing or executry practitioners have a right of appeal within 21 days to the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal against such a direction.  The Tribunal may quash, confirm or vary the direction.  The solicitor or conveyancing or executry practitioner will be able to appeal to the Court of Session against the Tribunal’s decision.  The Court will be able to give such directions in the matter as it thinks fit and its decision will be final.</Text>
</Para></NumberedPara>
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