Society of Advocates in Aberdeen
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| Formation | Prior to 1721 |
|---|---|
| Type | Professional body |
| Headquarters | Concert Court |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 55°51′44″N 4°15′17″W / 55.8622°N 4.2546°W |
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Region served
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Aberdeen |
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President
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Lisa Gregory |
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Main organ
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Management Committee |
| Website | www.socofadvocates.com |
The Society of Advocates in Aberdeen is an independent non-regulatory professional body of solicitors in the northern Scottish city of Aberdeen and its surrounding area. It is a membership organisation providing a library, continuing professional development (CPD) courses and social events for its members, as well as engaging in representative activities, similar in form to the Society of Writers to Her Majesty's Signet (WS Society) in Edinburgh and the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow. The Society has its base in the Advocates Hall, located on Concert Court behind the Sheriff Court.
Despite the name, its membership is drawn from the solicitors' profession, and not members of the Faculty of Advocates. Although membership of the Society was previously a requirement for the practice of law, this is no longer the case and the Society has no regulatory role, this being the province of the Law Society of Scotland. Its members are permitted to title themselves, Advocate in Aberdeen.
The date of the Society's foundation is unknown, as its records were destroyed in a fire in 1721. The people and motives behind its establishment are therefore unknown, but presumed to have arisen "out of the natural expression of the desire of members of any profession to incorporate themselves for the purpose of mutual assistance and the exchange of professional expertise." Royal Charters were issued in 1774, 1799 and 1862. In 1787, a Library was established which grew to contain a large collection of books, on both legal and non-legal matters. The first Advocates Hall was built in 1837, and the present in 1870.
Membership of the Society was for many years required in order to be permitted to practise before the courts of Aberdeen. This requirement was removed by the Law Agents (Scotland) Act 1873, which eliminated the exclusive right of Society members to appear in the local courts, and the Solicitors (Scotland) Act 1933 and Legal Aid and Solicitors (Scotland) 1949, which created the Law Society of Scotland as the national professional body for solicitors. Since then, the Society has adapted to changes in the profession to become a voluntary membership body providing Library and research services near the Sheriff Court, training courses to meet the requirement of every solicitor to undertake at least twenty hours' continuing professional development per year, opportunities for networking and social interaction, and representation to amongst others the Law Society and local and national government.
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