Section A: General Provisions

These rules may be cited as the Law Society of Scotland Practice Rules 2011. These rules shall come into operation on 1 November 2011.

In these rules, unless stated to the contrary or the context otherwise requires, terms listed in the first column of Schedule 1 to these rules shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in the second column of Schedule 1.

This Glossary includes all the defined terms contained in Schedule 1 to the Law Society of Scotland Practice Rules 2011, as referred to in Rule A2: Definitions and Interpretation.

Save where and to the extent stated to the contrary in any of these rules: if you are a solicitor the following rules apply to you

Rule 3 in Section A of the rules sets out which of the practice rules apply to the different categories of regulated person both generally and when engaged in certain types of work.

Failure to comply with these rules may be treated as professional misconduct or unsatisfactory professional conduct.

Subject to rule 5.2 the Council shall have the power to waive any of the provisions of these rules in any particular circumstances or case

Schedule 2 is referred to in Rule 5.2 in Section A of the rules. It details the rules which the Council has no power to waive.

Rule A5 provides that the Council may waive practice rules except those specified in Schedule 2 to the rules.

There are two Waiver Application Forms

The rules and regulations listed in Schedule 3 are hereby revoked and such revocation shall have the equivalent effect as would the repeal of an enactment by an Act of Parliament pursuant to section 16 of the Interpretation Act 1978.

Schedule 3 is referred to in Rule 6.1 in Section A of the rules. It details the rules which are revoked by the 2011 rules, subject to the savings provisions in Rule 6.2 in Section A.

Subject to rule 7.2, where any of these rules permits or requires the Society or the Council to give or send a notice to, or serve a notice on, any person then such notice shall be: