Budget & Levy
The SLCC is funded by legal practitioners in Scotland. Find out about our budget, how we spend it and the details of the levy which we impose on legal practitioners in Scotland.Budget & Levy
Although the SLCC was set up by the Scottish Government, we are not considered a public body as we have both public and private attributes.
In common with public bodies, we are subject to freedom of information, standards in public life and the Human Rights Act 1998. Our private attributes mean that we are responsible for our own finances, set our own annual budget and are not funded by the public.
Our funding comes from the legal profession in Scotland and this is through the payment of an annual levy, collected by the professional bodies from their members and from charges imposed when a complaint is upheld.
The professional bodies are:
- The Law Society of Scotland
- The Faculty of Advocates
- The Association of Commercial Attorneys.
The levies for Conveyancing and Executry Practitioners are collected by the Law Society of Scotland.
The SLCC Budget for 2010-2011
The SLCC Budget for 2010-2011 was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 29 April 2010
You can read the full 
budget here (PDF 3.56MB) and
the letters to the
Law Society for Scotland (PDF
131KB),
the Faculty of Advocates (PDF
52.4KB),
the Association of Commercial
Attorneys (PDF 43.4KB) and the
Minister for Community Safety, Fergus Ewing
MSP (PDF 113KB).
What will the levies for 2010-2011 be?
(The SLCC's financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June of the following year.)
| Solicitors with 3 plus years experience | £235 |
| Conveyancing & Executry Practitioners with 3 plus years experience | £235 |
| Solicitors within first 3 years of practice | £118 |
| Conveyancing & Executry Practitioners within first 3 years of practice | £118 |
| Practising outwith Scotland | £78 |
| In-house Conveyancing & Executry Practitioners | £78 |
| In-house lawyers | £78 |
| Advocates | £118 |
| Association of Commercial Attorneys | £78 |
Complaints levies are made against legal practitioners when a complaint is upheld. The complaints levies for 2010 - 2011 have not changed and are:
|
Mediation Levy |
£0 |
|
No complaint upheld |
£0 |
|
Complaint accepted - First Settlement |
£500 |
|
Complaint accepted - Second and Further Settlements |
£700 |
|
Formal Determination - First |
£800 |
|
Formal Determination - Second |
£1,200 |
|
Formal Determination - Third and Further Determination |
£2,000 |
The current levies for 2009 - 2010 are:
(The SLCC's financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June of the following year.)
| Solicitors with 3 plus years experience | £275 |
| Advocates | £223 |
| Solicitors within first 3 years experience | £138 |
| In-house and Outwith Scotland Solicitors | £91 |
| Association of Commercial Attorneys | £91 |
What are the costs involved if a complaint is made against me?
Complaints levies are charges made against legal practitioners when a complaint is upheld. The complaints levies for 2009 - 2010 are:
| Mediation Levy | £0 |
| No complaint upheld | £0 |
| Complaint accepted - First Settlement | £500 |
| Complaint accepted - Second and Further Settlements | £700 |
| Formal Determination - First | £800 |
| Formal Determination - Second | £1,200 |
| Formal Determination - Third and Further Determination | £2,000 |
Budget and Levy Information for 2009 / 2010
17 April 2009 Budget 2009/2010 (PDF, 2,371k)
What are the current levy charges?
Levy Charges for 2009/2010
| Solicitors with 3 plus years experience | Annual Levy | £275 |
| Conveyancing and Executry Services | Annual Levy | £275 |
| Advocates | Annual Levy less 19% | £223 |
| Solicitors within first 3 years of practice | Annual Levy less 50% | £138 |
| In-house and Outwith Scotland Solicitors | Annual Levy less 66.6% | £91 |
| Assoc of Commercial Attorneys | Annual Levy less 66.6% | £91 |
26 February 2009
Response to proposed budget received from the
Faculty of Advocates (PDF, 105k)
The Proposed Budget 2009/2010 was been sent to relevant professional organisations with an accompanying letter - Budget letter to Consultees and responses were received from The Law Society of Scotland and the The Faculty of Advocates. As a new organisation, the Association of Commercial Attorneys became operational after the consultation period.
The SLCC must lay a copy of the finalised budget before the Scottish Parliament no later than 30 April 2009.
Proposed Budget for 2009/2010 (PDF, 248k)
Budget letter to Consultees (PDF, 32k)
If you have any further questions on the budget and levy, please contact us.
