Scottish Legal Aid Board

Keith Brown MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Justice

Agency executives

Ray Macfarlane, Chair
Colin Lancaster, Chief Executive

Parent departmentScottish GovernmentWebsitewww.slab.org.ukMap ${{{map_alt}}}$

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v t e

The Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) (Scottish Gaelic: Bòrd Taic Laghail na h-Alba) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government, responsible for managing legal aid. It was established in April 1987, under the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986,^[1] taking over functions previously exercised by the Law Society.

In 2006 it had an annual budget of approximately £164 million.

History

Providing free legal assistance in Scotland is based on the Poor's Roll of 1424:^[2]

"and gif there bee onie pure creature, for faulte of cunning, or expenses, that cannot, nor may not follow his cause, the King for the love of GOD, sall ordain the judge to purwey and get a leill and a wise Advocate, to follow sik pure creatures causes"

This was reinforced by a 1587 act of the Parliament of Scotland:

"quhatsumever lieges of this Realme accused of treason, or for quatsumever crime... full libertie to provide himselfe of Advocates and Praeloquutoures, in competent numbers to defend his life, honour and land, against quhatsumever accusation".

References

^ ""The Scottish Legal Aid Board is an independent statutory body established under the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986". Scottish Government. 17 August 2006. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
^ ""The Poor's Roll remained the basis for providing free legal assistance, with various refinements over the centuries, until the 20th century."". Scottish Legal Aid Board. Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2009.

External links

Official website
The history of legal aid in Scotland

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