The next year will be dominated by implementation of the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act, according to the new president of the Law Society of Scotland.
John MacKinnon stepped up from the role of vice president to fill the vacancy created by Ruthven Gemmell a little more than a week ago and has some set views on what the challenges will be for solicitors over the coming months.
"If the past year was dominated by the demands of responding to the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act, then the next 12 months will focus on implementation of the enacted legislation," Mr MacKinnon said.
The new president said that he was particularly concerned with "advancing the interests of solicitors and their clients" with reference to the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission, which will start handling complaints next year.
Mr MacKinnon took up his position on May 25th, with Richard Henderson, formerly a solicitor to the Scottish executive, taking on the vice president title the new president vacated.