A Practical Guide to Simple Procedure in the Sheriff Courts in Scotland

Although the system has been operating for over eight years, A Practical Guide to Simple Procedure in the Sheriff Court is the first book to be written on this important topic. Furthermore, it is designed to assist solicitors to minimize the ever present perils of complaints and the non-payment of fees and outlays. The book pays particular regard to risk management in relation to cost, delay and the uncertainties over the rules of evidence.

The book regards Simple Procedure as only one component of a small debt recovery process that requires knowledge and awareness of the practicalities of the law of expenses and of diligence, two key areas which are not sufficiently covered by the Rules themselves. The book looks at other systems of low value claims and argues firstly that solicitors should try to minimise their involvement in Simple Procedure completely and, secondly, that low value actions should be taken out of the courts entirely.

While A Practical Guide to Simple Procedure in the Sheriff Court is designed primarily for solicitors it will also be of use to students and party litigants seeking to navigate their way round this form of process.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andrew Stevenson is a practising solicitor advocate at Waddell and Mackintosh, Troon. He first appeared in the small claims court in 1989, gave a seminar for the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow when new Summary Cause and Small Claims rules were introduced in 2002, and another for the Glasgow Bar Association when Simple Procedure was launched in 2016.