Student support under the spotlight while top dogs have their day

THE top and bottom of the legal career pyramid will be the focus of some attention over the next eight days.

Marco Biagi MSP will tomorrow evening host an event in the Scottish Parliament – Fair Access to the Legal Profession: Questions of Justice and Education.

The event will be attended by Law Society of Scotland president Austin Lafferty and other senior representatives of the legal profession. Speakers include Biagi, whose constituency includes the University of Edinburgh, Mike Dailly of Govan Law Centre and Robin Parker, president of NUS Scotland.

Tim Haddow, coordinator of the Campaign for Fair Access to the Legal profession, said: “This event will bring politicians, the legal profession and students together for the first time. Over the last 20 years government has abandoned its role in providing meaningful support to those who need it; only our politicians can change this. And, looking to the future, we need political and professional leadership to reform the route to qualification so it guarantees a fair chance to all, regardless of background.”

At the other end of the profession advertisements have been placed for three recruits to the bench of the UK Supreme Court to replace Lord Dyson, who has already retired, and Lord Walker and Lord Hope, who next year reach retirement age. Prospective candidates may have been taken unawares by the tight deadline for applications of 5pm next Tuesday.

In its guidance to applicants the Supreme Court makes clear that: “By convention there have for many years been two Scottish Law Lords and, more recently, two Scottish Justices of the Supreme Court. On Lord Hope’s retirement, Lord Reed will be the only justice from Scotland. In making its recommendations the selection commission will have regard to the requirement under section 27(8) of the act to “ensure that between them the judges will have knowledge of, and experience of practice in, the law of each part of the UK.”

It is extremely unlikely that the place of Lord Hope, who has been a key figure in the UK Supreme Court since it opened in 2009, will not be taken by a Scottish qualified candidate.

Perhaps surprisingly, the eligibility criteria does not require the candidate to be a judge: “The statutory minimum qualification for appointment is to have held high judicial office for a period of at least two years, or to have satisfied the judicial appointment eligibility condition on a 15-year basis, or to have been a qualifying practitioner for a period of at least 15 years.”

The application pack specifies that “successful candidates will have to demonstrate independence of mind and integrity and that they meet the criteria listed below to AN EXCEPTIONAL DEGREE [sic]: knowledge and experience of the law; intellectual ability and interest in the law, with a significant capacity for analysing and exploring a range of legal problems creatively and flexibly; willingness and ability to learn about new areas of the law; clarity of thought and expression, reflected particularly in written work; and an ability to work under pressure and to produce work with reasonable expedition.

The successful candidate is also required to demonstrate social awareness, understanding of the contemporary world and complete a diversity and equalities questionnaire. The salary is £206,857.