Law Society of Scotland – Legal Services Survey

Survey of 1,000 Scottish Adults on behalf of the Law Society of Scotland on the services provided by a solicitor, and the use of the term ‘Lawyer’.

• While seven in ten (69%) Scottish adults correctly identify that writing a legal document that transfers ownership of a house is a legal service which can currently only be provided by a solicitor, just over half (54%) think that only solicitors can provide advice in a police station to someone suspected of committing a crime.
• Of the different legal services tested, Scottish adults are most likely to say that writing a legal document that transfers ownership of a house (65%) and representing someone in court (64%) are services that should only be provided by a solicitor.
• After being told that in Scotland there are currently no restrictions or requirements on who can call themselves a ‘lawyer’, nine in ten (87%) Scottish adults agree that there should be restrictions on who can do this, with two thirds (66%) doing so strongly.

Date Published: 22/12/2017

Categories: Public and communities | UK

Client: Law Society of Scotland

Methodology

ComRes interviewed 1,000 Scottish adults online between the 16th and 25th October 2017. Data were weighted to be representative of all Scottish adults aged 18+ by age, gender, and region. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.