Scottish Civil Justice Council

What Scottish Civil Justice Council does

The Scottish Civil Justice Council (SCJC) is an independent statutory public body established on 28 May 2013 under the Scottish Civil Justice Council and Criminal Legal Assistance (Scotland) Act 2013, replacing the former Court of Session and Sheriff Court Rules Councils. It is headquartered at Parliament House, Edinburgh, and is chaired by the Lord President. The SCJC's statutory function is to keep the civil justice system under review, prepare draft civil procedure rules, fee rules, and inquiry procedure rules for the Court of Session, and make recommendations to the Lord President and Scottish Ministers on civil justice development. It operates through multiple standing committees (Access to Justice, Costs and Funding, Family Law, Personal Injury, and Rules Rewrite) and meets quarterly with membership drawn from the judiciary, legal profession, consumer representatives, and standing appointees from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, Scottish Legal Aid Board, and Scottish Government. Draft rules approved by the Court of Session are enacted as Acts of Sederunt, with recent rule-making activity including the 2016 Simple Procedure Rules (cases up to £5,000), the Personal Injury Pre-Action Protocol, the 2020 Group Proceedings rules, and 2022 rules making Civil Online submission compulsory for simple procedure claims.

The SCJC's outputs are operationally delivered through the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service's technology stack, specifically the Civil Online portal (digital submission platform for simple procedure claims) and the Integrated Case Management System (ICMS) used to process cases end-to-end. The SCJC's technology role is therefore indirect: it shapes the rules, forms, and orders that those digital systems implement, rather than building or owning the platforms themselves. Its communications reach legal professionals, courts, and the public via its official website, Twitter (@ScottishCJC), formal publications, and public consultations.

The SCJC does not operate as a commercial enterprise. It has no revenue, no pricing model, no customers in the commercial sense, and no distribution channels beyond statutory rule-submission to the Court of Session. Its outputs (court rules, recommendations, consultation responses) are public goods disseminated through official legislative channels and consumed by Scottish civil courts (Court of Session, Sheriff Appeal Court, and sheriff courts), legal professionals (advocates and solicitors), and members of the public engaging with civil proceedings.

Name

Scottish Civil Justice Council

Legal name

Scottish Civil Justice Council

Website

https://scottishciviljusticecouncil.gov.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Scottish Civil Justice Council is an independent statutory body that prepares draft civil procedure rules for Scotland's courts and advises on civil justice reform. It serves the Scottish judiciary, legal professionals, and the public under the chairmanship of the Lord President.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Justice Administration

NAICS

Courts (92211), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

akta.pro primary industry

Judicial Oversight, Sentencing & Parole Boards (BPAIAFAK)

Keywords

• Civil court rules
• Civil justice reform
• Judicial policy
• Court procedure rules
• Legal rule making

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Scottish Civil Justice Council is the independent statutory body that keeps the civil justice system in Scotland under review and prepares draft civil procedure rules, fee rules and inquiry procedure rules for consideration by the Court of Session (made as Acts of Sederunt). It conducts public consultations, commissions research, and provides advice and recommendations to the Lord President and Scottish Ministers on the development of the civil justice system, including promotion of alternative dispute resolution, consistency of practice, and accessibility of civil proceedings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Lord PresidentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lord President serves as the Chairperson of the Scottish Civil Justice Council, providing direct judicial leadership and oversight of the council's civil justice reform activities.
• Scottish Courts and Tribunals ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Chief Executive of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service is a standing member of the Council by virtue of their office. The SCTS implements court rules and operates digital systems including Civil Online and ICMS.
• Scottish Legal Aid BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe principal officer of the Scottish Legal Aid Board serves as a standing Council member, ensuring coordination on legal aid and access to justice matters.
• Scottish GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne member of staff of the Scottish Government is appointed by the Scottish Ministers to the Council. The Scottish Government operates the Making Justice Work programme under which civil courts reform is implemented.
• Court of SessioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Court of Session receives and considers draft rules submitted by the SCJC. Approved rules are made as Acts of Sederunt, giving them legal effect.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Civil Justice Council (England and Wales): Statutory advisory body on civil justice reform in England and Wales. Closest functional analogue to the SCJC, also advising on civil procedure rules, court reforms, and access to justice policy.
• Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS): Operates Scotland's courts and tribunals and is a standing Council member. Closely intertwined with SCJC because it implements the rules the SCJC drafts and runs Civil Online and ICMS platforms.

Broad incumbents

• Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS): Operates the courts and tribunals system across England and Wales and is undergoing major digital reform. Comparable as the operational delivery counterpart that SCJC's rules feed into, but at much larger scale.

Regional players

• Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service: Administers courts in Northern Ireland under a separate civil procedure framework. Comparable as a regional court administration peer operating under a distinct but related legal system.
• Judicial Appointments Board for Scotland: Scottish statutory body recommending judicial appointments. Comparable as another independent statutory body within Scotland's justice governance structure, though focused on appointments rather than procedure.
• Judicial Council of Ireland: Statutory body supporting judicial standards and rule development in Ireland. Comparable as a national-level judicial oversight and standards-setting body within a common-law jurisdiction adjacent to Scotland.

Others

• Law Commission of England and Wales: Independent statutory body reviewing English and Welsh law. Adjacent peer to the SCJC as another law-reform body whose procedural reform recommendations can interact with civil justice policy.
• Scottish Law Commission: Statutory body reviewing and reforming Scots law. Adjacent peer because it influences the substantive law that the SCJC's procedural rules must accommodate, and they often consult on overlapping reforms.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ScottishCJC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scottish Civil Justice Council