Experience

To be eligible to undertake the Solicitor Advocacy Training, the Solicitor must have been qualified as a Solicitor for at least 7 years. A Solicitor Advocate will have years of experience and can often also be accredited as a specialist by the Law Society of Scotland in their chosen field. The accreditation process is rigorous. Our Ms Anderson is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in Family Law and also separately as a specialist in Child Law.

Knowledge of your case

A Solicitor Advocate can be instructed by you throughout your case. This means that when they appear at court on your behalf they have the full knowledge of all matters involving your case which they can draw on, as appropriate, to best represent you in court.

Advocacy skills

To obtain the Solicitor Advocate qualification the applicants Advocacy Skills are examined both in terms of written advocacy and oral advocacy. Ongoing advocacy training is required to be undertaken which again focuses on advocacy skills. Successful advocacy involves the presentation of your case in a way that is persuasive to the decision maker. The skills involved to achieve a successful outcome will vary on a case by case basis. The Solicitor Advocate has a wealth of knowledge and experience to drawn on to achieve the best possible outcome for the client.

Court based knowledge

Where you instruct a Solicitor Advocate, you instruct a professional who has an expert knowledge of court rules and court craft which is applied to your case from the outset. This means that raising court proceeding to achieve the best possible outcome is discussed as an option with expert advice being provided as to the best option, be it negotiation or litigation.

In the event that you are instructing a Solicitor Advocate to defend a court action, the focus again will be on achieving the best outcome for the client in the court process including advising on options for making a counter-claim in your defence.