Alternative business structures are unlikely to become a reality in Scotland until well after they are sanctioned and operating in England and Wales, it has emerged.

The Law Society of Scotland said this week that the latest legislative timetable from Holyrood indicates a start date for ABSs of summer 2012 at the earliest, following passage of the Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010. South of the border, the Solicitors Regulation Authority expects to begin licensing ABSs by the turn of the year after missing its initial 6 October target date.

After much heated debate among the 10,500-strong Scottish solicitors’ profession, a compromise was reached last year when the Scots decided against following England and Wales in allowing 100% external ownership of licensed legal services providers. Instead, Scottish firms will have to be at least 51% owned, managed and controlled by solicitors or members of other regulated professions, such as accountants.

The Edinburgh-based Society also published its new strategy for the decade ahead at its annual conference ‘Law in Scotland - One Profession’ in Glasgow.

‘Towards 2020’ sets out five principal objectives against which it will assess and measure its performance over the coming years.

These are:

  • Excellent solicitor professionalism and reputation
  • Our members are trusted advisers of choice
  • Our members are economically active and sustainable
  • The Society is the professional body and regulator of choice
  • The Society is a high-performing organisation

The document can be viewed at the Law Society Scot site.

Society president Cameron Ritchie said: ‘The outlook for the next few years remains challenging and we know that solicitors will continue to feel the effects of a tough economic climate.

'Social change will also impact on our members as consumers of legal services become increasingly well informed and will seek the best and most cost-effective services available to them.

‘This makes reputation and quality assurance for solicitors and their firms even more important. As a professional body, it will be our role to promote a deeper understanding of the solicitor brand to the public.

‘The legal sector itself is changing and we are seeing a younger profession with the gender balance swinging towards females. There are also pressures on some specific areas of legal practice, such as the criminal bar, and a growing number of "employed status" solicitors.’