Law School Professor to Advise the Scottish Government on Legal Aid

Professor Alan Paterson OBE, Director of the Centre for Professional Legal Studies at Strathclyde University – a think tank on access to justice and the legal profession - has been appointed as the international and expert adviser to the Independent Review of Legal Aid in Scotland announced by Annabelle Ewing, Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, last month.

Professor Paterson is chair of the International Legal Aid Group, an association of leading legal aid service providers, policymakers and researchers from around the world, and has extensive knowledge of legal aid systems in different jurisdictions internationally. He will assist Martyn Evans, Chief Executive of the Carnegie Trust, who is chairing the Review, and the Review Panel. The remit of the Review is “to consider the legal aid system in 21^st century Scotland and how best to respond to the changing justice, social, economic, business and technological landscape within which a modern and flexible legal aid system should operate”.

Professor Nicole Busby, Acting Head of the Strathclyde Law School said “With his wide knowledge and experience, Alan will be a great asset to this review and it is good to see that the Scottish Government recognises the importance of such expertise in informing and shaping its policy.”