A Scottish solicitors’ practice, regulated by the Law Society of Scotland. Free to use. Our panel is not the whole Scottish profession, and you may instruct any solicitor you wish. Where we do not act for you ourselves we introduce you to a panel firm, and that firm may pay us a share of its fee.
How to choose a solicitor in Scotland — what actually matters
I need a lawyer to…
choose the right solicitor in Scotland
Most advice on choosing a solicitor is written by solicitors who would like you to choose them. This page tries to be more useful than that: what the credentials actually mean, what to ask, what it will cost, and the situations where you do not need a solicitor at all.
Where we stand, so you can weigh what follows
This site is run by a firm of Scottish solicitors, and where we introduce you to another firm on our panel that firm may pay us a share of its fee. So we are not a disinterested observer and we will not pretend to be. What we can honestly say is that nothing on this page is written to steer you towards a particular firm, our panel is not the whole profession, and every solicitor in Scotland is on a public register you can check yourself in about a minute. The rest of this page tells you how.
First, check they are actually a solicitor
Anybody may call themselves a legal adviser, a claims specialist or a will writer. Only a person on the roll of the Law Society of Scotland, holding a current practising certificate, may call themselves a solicitor here — and the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2025 created offences around misusing the titles.
The Society publishes a free directory at Find a Solicitor. Search the name of the person or firm. If they do not appear, ask why before you go any further. It takes a minute and it is the single most useful check available to you.
What the credentials actually mean
What you may see
What it actually tells you
Solicitor
Qualified, on the roll, holds a practising certificate, insured under the Master Policy, and subject to the Society’s rules and the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission.
Accredited Specialist
A formal Law Society of Scotland accreditation in a defined field, awarded on evidence of substantial experience and renewed periodically. This one carries real weight.
Solicitor Advocate
A solicitor with extended rights of audience who may appear in the higher courts. Relevant for serious or high-value litigation, largely irrelevant for a house purchase.
Notary Public
Able to witness and certify certain documents. Common, and not a measure of skill in any particular field.
Paralegal
Not a solicitor. May be very experienced and may hold the Society’s Accredited Paralegal status, but is supervised rather than independently responsible.
“Award-winning”, “leading”, “top-rated”
Marketing. Some awards are genuinely peer-assessed; most are paid-for or self-nominated. Ask which award, in which year, judged by whom.
Get the right kind of solicitor, not the nearest one
Scots law is nobody’s second subject. A firm that does excellent conveyancing may not be who you want for a birth injury claim, and a large commercial practice may have no interest in a boundary dispute worth four thousand pounds. Proximity matters far less than it used to — almost all of this is now done by email and video, and a specialist in Aberdeen is usually a better answer than a generalist round the corner.
The exception is where you genuinely want to sit across a desk from somebody. If that matters to you, say so at the outset. It is a legitimate preference and a good firm will tell you honestly whether they can meet it.
Six questions worth asking on the first call
- Who will actually do the work? The person you speak to first is not always the person who runs the file. Ask for a name and their position.
- How much of your work is in this area? “We can do that” and “we do that every week” are different answers.
- What will it cost, and how is it charged? Fixed fee, hourly rate, or a percentage of what you recover. Ask which, and ask for the number.
- Does your fee come out of my money? The important one in injury work. Some firms recover their fee from the other side and take nothing from you. Others deduct a success fee from your compensation. Both are called no win, no fee.
- What happens if it goes wrong or takes longer? Ask what would change the estimate, and by roughly how much.
- How and how often will you update me? Poor communication is the single most common complaint about solicitors, and it is entirely preventable by agreeing this at the start.
What it will cost, honestly
Scottish solicitors charge in three broad ways, and the right one depends on the work rather than on the firm.
Fixed feeCommon for wills, powers of attorney, simplified divorce and straightforward conveyancing. Ask what is excluded — outlays, registration dues and VAT are often on top.
Hourly rateUsual for disputes and anything unpredictable. Ask the rate, the minimum unit charged, and for an estimate of total hours with the assumptions behind it.
No win, no feeStandard in injury work. Ask the crucial follow-up: does the fee come only from the other side, or also as a percentage of my compensation?
Legal aidStill available in Scotland for some family, criminal and even medical negligence work — much more widely than in England. Ask whether the firm holds a legal aid registration.
Whatever the basis, you are entitled to a letter of engagement setting out the terms, and you should not start without one. A firm reluctant to put its fees in writing is telling you something.
The question almost nobody asks
Ask whether the firm will be paid anything by anyone else in connection with your case — a referral fee, a commission, a share of another firm’s fee. Ask what it is and who pays it. There is nothing improper about such arrangements, and they are common, but you are entitled to know they exist. We say so on this site because we receive them.
When you do not need a solicitor
Being told to save your money is not something you hear often from a legal website, so here it is. You may not need one where:
- You and your former partner agree on everything and want a simplified divorce with no children under sixteen and no financial claims — the court’s own forms are designed to be completed without a solicitor.
- The dispute is small enough for the simple procedure in the sheriff court, which is built for party litigants.
- You want to complain about NHS treatment rather than claim compensation — the complaints procedure is free and does not need a lawyer.
- The question is one that Citizens Advice Scotland, the Money Advice Service or a specialist charity answers routinely and at no cost.
The corollary matters too. Do not act for yourself where a time limit is close, where a child’s welfare is in issue, where you are being asked to sign away rights you do not understand, or where the other side has a solicitor and you do not.
Warning signs
- They telephoned you out of the blue. Particularly after an accident. Ask how they got your details.
- They tell you what your case is worth before seeing any evidence. Nobody can do that honestly.
- They will not put the fee in writing.
- They say you will “definitely” win. No competent solicitor says that.
- They are not on the Law Society register, and explain it away.
- The pressure is to sign today. Time limits are real, but a firm that will not let you think overnight is selling rather than advising.
If it goes wrong
Complain to the firm first, in writing, saying what went wrong and what you want done. Every Scottish practice must have a complaints procedure. If that does not resolve it, the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission is the independent gateway for complaints about Scottish solicitors, covering both service and conduct, and it is free to use. There are time limits for taking a complaint there, so do not sit on it.
Common questions
Does it matter where the solicitor is based?
Much less than it used to. Scots law is the same in Stranraer and Shetland, and almost everything is now done remotely. Location matters where you want face-to-face meetings, or occasionally where local court knowledge genuinely helps. Specialism should usually win over proximity.
Is a bigger firm better?
No, it is different. Larger firms have depth, cover and specialists; smaller firms often give you the same person throughout and answer the phone. What matters is who does your work and how much of it they do.
Can I change solicitor partway through?
Yes. You are entitled to instruct someone else and to have your file transferred, although fees already incurred remain payable and your original firm may be entitled to hold the file until they are met. Raise your concerns with them first — most problems are communication problems.
Are online reviews worth anything?
Some. Read the middling ones rather than the extremes, look for comments on communication and timescales rather than outcomes, and treat a handful of five-star reviews posted in the same week with suspicion. The Law Society register tells you far more than any star rating.
Should I get more than one quote?
For fixed-fee work, yes, and it is easy. For litigation, comparing quotes is harder because firms scope the work differently, so compare what is included as much as the number.
A note on this page
This is general information about choosing a solicitor in Scotland. It is not advice about your situation and it is not a recommendation of any firm. We do not rank solicitors and we do not say one is better than another.
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