In late 2003, the Scottish Consumer Council, with the support of the Scottish Executive, received funding from the Nuffield Foundation to carry out a series of seminars for invited stakeholders to examine the case for a review of the civil justice system in Scotland. The work was overseen by an advisory group chaired by the Right Honourable Lord Coulsfield.

Six seminars were held between September 2004 and April 2005. Each seminar was addressed by an expert speaker from another jurisdiction.

The purpose of the seminars was to discuss the current system of civil justice, examine critically the case for change and establish the degree of consensus about what change is needed and how it could be made. The structure of the seminars was intended to mirror the user's journey the system, from seeking advice on their dispute, through the dispute resolution system to the enforcement stage. In addition to the seminars,we wrote to stakeholder organisations, asking for their views on how well the system was working, and a series of meetings were also held with key organisations.Written submissions were also invited through our website. To read the written submissions we received click here.

In November 2005, the advisory published its final report The Civil Justice System in Scotland -a case for review?. The report concludes that there is a need for review of a number of important aspects of the system. A summary of the full report is also available.

For further information on the background to this project, click here.

Please click on the following links to find out more about this project.

< Advisory Group | Seminars |

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