Scottish Legal Action
The Scottish legal system has 6 regions: called Sheriffdoms. Each Sheriffdom has a Sheriff Principal who is responsible for the conduct of the court and hearing appeals.
There are 49 Sheriff Courts within the Sheriffdoms, with a judge, known as a Sheriff. There are 3 legal areas within a Sheriff Court: Civil, Criminal and Commissary.
Scottish Sheriff Court LocationsSheriff Courts deal with three different types of case
- Ordinary Actions claims exceeding £1500.
- Summary Causes amounts between £750 and £1500.
- Small Claims claims of less than £750
Some Scottish legal names are different from those used in courts within England and Wales. For instance, a ‘Decree’ is the same as an English and Welsh ‘Judgment’.
Some actions slightly differ, but in general they are close. Here are some more:
| Scotland | England/Wales | Description |
|
Action |
Claim |
The process of starting and bringing an Action against a Defendant |
|
Decree |
Judgment |
Successful Action against a Defendant |
|
Diligence |
Enforcement |
Process after Decree, to obtain non-voluntary payment |
|
Poinding |
Warrant |
Diligence using debtors assets (car, boat) |
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