The Society of Advocates in Aberdeen is an independent non-regulatory professional body of

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

s in the northern Scottish city of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

and its surrounding area. It is a membership organisation providing a library,

continuing professional development Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive ...

(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 The Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet is a private society of Scottish solicitors, dating back to 1594 and part of the College of Justice. Writers to the Signet originally had special privileges in relation to the drawing up of document ...

(WS Society) in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and the

Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow The Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow is a professional body of legal practitioners based in Glasgow and providing services to lawyers in the city and the surrounding area. The Faculty owns and operates the largest law library in the West ...

. 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 The Faculty of Advocates is an independent body of lawyers who have been admitted to practise as advocates before the courts of Scotland, especially the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary. The Faculty of Advocates is a constitu ...

. 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 The Law Society of Scotland is the professional governing body for Scottish solicitors. It promotes excellence among solicitors through the support and regulation of its members. It also promotes the interests of the public in relation to the ...

. Its members are permitted to title themselves, ''Advocate in Aberdeen''.

History

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

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'

per year, opportunities for networking and social interaction, and representation to amongst others the Law Society and local and national government.

Advocates Hall

The Society had convened for some three hundred years in various venues in Aberdeen, including latterly its own room in the Sheriff Court, before, having amassed a significant literary collection and requiring dedicated space for social functions, a decision was made to erect independent accommodation. The Society's first permanent home was built in 1837 on the corner of Back Wynd and Union Street, adjacent to the churchyard of the

Kirk of St Nicholas The Kirk of St Nicholas is a historic church located in the city centre of Aberdeen, Scotland. Up until the dissolution of the congregation on 31 December 2020, it was known as the ''"Kirk of St Nicholas Uniting"''. It is also known as ''"The Mit ...

. The Society remained here until 1870 when a new Hall was built on Concert Close, a short lane directly behind the city's iconic Sheriff Court building on Union Street. The Hall, which is

Category A listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland, which are among the listed buildings of the United Kingdom. For a fuller list, see the pages linked on List of listed buildings in Scotland. Key The organization of the lists in th ...

, is a two-storey structure containing a large reception area, committee room and office, and a large Library with gallery and purpose-built timber bookcases. The architect of the Hall was James Matthews, who also designed the arched

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

running the length of Union Terrace Gardens and from 1883 to 1886 was

Lord Provost of Aberdeen The Lord Provost of Aberdeen is the convener of the Aberdeen City local authority in Scotland. They are elected by the city council and serve not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city. They are equivalent in m ...

. Room hire is available for very reasonable rates, full details on th
Venue Hire page
of the website.

Membership

Although membership of the Society was previously a requirement for the practice of law, this is no longer the case and membership is now voluntary. Applications for membership must be subscribed by three members of the Society and are exhibited in the Advocates Hall for fourteen days to facilitate objection by other members. The application is then laid before the next meeting of the Management Committee for approval, after which the applicant becomes a member. An annual subscription is charged, set in October 2010 at £125, with reduced rates available to those aged over sixty-five, those not holding a current Practising Certificate, trainees, and those up to five years newly qualified. We now also have an Associate membership for lecturers or members of the Judiciary. The Society seeks to present membership as conferring a degree of prestige, as well as inspiring confidence in a member's professional abilities. It also draws attention to the social and networking opportunities membership presents, which it suggests can not only lead to greater camaraderie amongst practitioners but facilitate resolution of business matters in a non-adversarial fashion.

References

External links

Website of the Society of Advocates in AberdeenArticle on the history of the Society
{{Authority control Legal organisations based in Scotland Libraries in Scotland Law libraries in the United Kingdom Organisations based in Aberdeen