Law Society and Scottish Government host joint event

Law Society and Scottish Government host joint event for EU Civil Justice Day

The Scottish Government and Law Society of Scotland are co-hosting an event on Monday, 18 October, to mark EU Civil Justice Day.

Fergus Ewing, Minister for Community Safety will deliver the opening address at the event at Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, which will give legal practitioners up to date information about existing and proposed EU legislation and other initiatives relating to civil justice.

Mr Ewing said: "Today is the first time that a purely Scottish event to mark the European Day of Civil Justice has been held. Cross-border co-operation in civil justice improves the lives of the citizens of Scotland, as it increases their confidence in the civil justice system and their belief that it is working in their interests. It also brings economic benefits, by helping to encourage people to come to Scotland to live and work and making it easier to do business across national boundaries. The Scottish Government is therefore very much committed to it.

"The Scottish Government's aim is to ensure that existing EU instruments are implemented effectively in Scotland, and that any new initiatives take proper account of Scottish circumstances. Close co-operation with practitioners is an important part of that process."

Julia Bateman, head of the UK Law Societies' Brussels office, will be at the event.

She said: "European Civil Justice Day was established in 2003 by the European Commission and the Council of Europe to take place in October each year to bring justice closer to citizens, to inform them on their rights and to promote the work of the European Commission and of the Council of Europe in the field of civil justice.

"Civil law is part of daily life for people across Europe - at work, when they get married, have children or buy goods and services within the single market. The increased mobility of people and business across national boundaries means that it has an increasing cross-border dimension. This event is aimed at raising awareness among practitioners of the mechanisms that exist in the EU to help secure legal rights and obligations across national boundaries.

"It also presents an opportunity for those whose work is influenced by EU policy and legislation to share information and learn about forthcoming proposals."

The Society's joint event with the Scottish Government will alert those who offer advice on the variety of ways they can themselves keep up-to-date with EU legislative developments, including the various services offered by the Society's Brussels Office and by the EU and International Law Team at the Scottish Government.

Speakers are set to discuss a range of topics including debt recovery and enforcement; succession law and family law. Tools designed to simplify the provision of cross-border legal advice such as the e-justice portal will also be highlighted.

For further information:

Please contact Val McEwan or Suzy Powell on 0131 226 8884.
Email: valeriesmcewan@lawscot.org.uk / suzypowell@lawscot.org.uk