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How the Scots view the Legal Profession
^ hen the Public Relations Committee of the Law
'Victv of Scotland felt that their work might benefit
r
°m a study of the attitudes of the public towards the
e
k
r
al profession a research project was commissioned
J
1
'
1
*! funds were made available by the Socicty. The
Jl'l report occupies 251 pages of text and 119 of appen-
d s . In this summary an attempt is made to give
Points which mav be of interest to the profession in this
C(,
untry.
. With slight variation between urban and rural areas
JUst
over 4 per cent of all people in Scotland of 18
)
p
ars of age and over have been to a lawyer for advice
ai
some time of another; only 10 per cent of the people
J ho have been to a solicitor, however, have been more
han half-a-dozen times in the past five years.
^'boosing a solicitor
About 61 per cent of people chose the solicitor on the
oasis of some close personal recommendation or because
l,le
y already knew him. Just under 20 per cr^t indi-
t e d that thev had a "family lawyer" and il j went
0
him; 23 per cent went to a solicitor they already
new,'and 19 per cent on a recommendati'on by a
/lend or relative. Only 7 per cent went tp a solicitor
^cause of his general reputation or because they knew
n e
specialised in the work thev wanted done. The
s
°hcitor was selected by 2 per cent on the basis of
Recommendation bv the Law Society of Scotland; a
°tal of 15 per cent ended up with a solicitor entirely
> chance—either by walking in off the street or just
>' using the same lawyer as another party in a mutual
lr
ansaction.
65 per cent of clients indicated their own solicitor
[eemed fairly modern and 20 per cent admitted to his
e,
»g a bit old-fashioned. Offices in which the lawyers
forked were seen as a bit old-fashioned by 4 per cent
a
J?
d
.Iairly modern by 41 per cent. The offices seemed
e
fficiently run by 90 per cent of clients.
Good relationships
Nearly all users of solicitors (96 per cent) thought
e , r
lawyer was friendly and easy to talk to; 82 per
F
e
nt said their work was completed as quickly as they
expected.
About 67 per cent said the fees charged were about ,
M*at they expected; 64 per cent thought the fees
ha
cged were reasonable.
The vast majority, over 92 per cent, said they were
Sa
tisfied with the way lawyers conducted their business.
Asked how they would rate lawyers as a body in
c
°mparison
other professional groups 23 per cent
they would rate lawyers among the highest, 49
w cent rated them as good, and 26 per cent about
.
1
he things people disliked about solicitors in order of
bjportance we r e: arrogance; a bit too clever or sharp;
Jpf-centredness; charging of high fees; something in
ie
. legal system; miscellaneous. None of these cate-
gories had even as many as 5 per cent of respondents
n
them.
Most people thought that neither television nor news-
papers gave a good idea of what solicitors arc like and
distrust of the media was most pronounced amongst
the higher-income groups.
About 60 per cent of people consulted expressed
preference for their solicitor to be a man; of the re-
mainder only 3 per cent would prefer a woman; the
rest said it would make no difference to them. Of those
who would opt for a woman solicitor nearly 9 out of
ten were themselves women.
Views on earnings
In estimating what they thought an average solicitor
earned, 20 per cent of users said between £1,000 and
£3,000; 34 per cent, £3,000 to £5,000; 27 per cent
£5,000 to £7,000; and 19 per cent, £7,000 and over!
The researchers (Messrs C. M. Campbell and R. J.
Wilson) found that the average income that people in
their sample—both users and non-users of solicitors—
gave for the vearlv earnings of a solicitor was about
£2,836.
The public's view of the legal profession as a rather
passive and unknown body emerged • clearly and many
indicated that, in a series of six hypothetical situations,
they would welcome a solicitor contacting them to give
advice. The very high proportion of people who would
welcome the solicitors initiating contact brings into
serious question commonly-held assumptions about the
correct stance for members of the profession. Taken
with the data on the low level of public knowledge on
the solicitors' services there is an emphatic call for a
more active and positive legal profession. About one-
half of the respondents would welcome a solicitor's
contact, less than 2 per cent would resent it.
Dealing with the replies to questions put to members
of the profession the research report shows that the
average income for solicitors in Scotland, which could
not be calculated with absolute precision, would be just
over £4,294 per annum. Of solicitors working on their
own 35 per cent earn less than about £3,000 per
annum; 72 per cent of those in single man firms earn
less than £5,000.
Information servicc needed
Four out of five solicitors felt that the profession did
not do enough to let the public know the range of
services it could provide but the proportions were re-
versed when the question of advertising by individual
firms was broached.
Overall, Scottish solicitors estimated that more than
four out of five of clients (83 per cent) were satisfied
with the way their solicitor handled their business.
As to the major obstacle to good solicitor/client
relationships, 17 per cent identified some inadequacy on
the part of the client; 13 per cent shortage of time; 11
per cent prior conceptions about the legal profession
(lawyers are too self-centred, always out for their
pound of flesh, pompous); 8 per cent fees; 7 per cent
delay outside one's control; 3 per cent fear or distrust
of legal processes; 2 per cent "client thinks he knows it
all"!
(Summarised for the "Gazette" by Maxwell Sweeney)
63