Recruitment: Temporary position for qualified solicitor at GLC

GLC has a vacancy for a solicitor qualified in Scots law on a temporary basis. Applications by letter and CV should be addressed to the Principal Solicitor, Govan Law Centre, 18-20 Orkney Street, Glasgow, G51 2BZ. The closing date for applications is Friday, 2 September 2011.

Former Deputy Editor of The Sunday Post appointed by Govan Law Centre

Govan Law Centre has appointed Colin Grant, the former Deputy Editor of The Sunday Post, as its media consultant, advising on, and handling, a wide range of media, communication and public relation projects for GLC. Colin is currently the Director of Spectrum PR.

Among Colin's many achievements at DC Thomson was the establishment of the award-winning CHAS (Children’s Hospice Association Scotland) campaign, which Colin ran single-handedly for four years from 2001-2005. During that period The Sunday Post raised a record £4 million which helped build and run Scotland’s second children’s hospice, Robin House, near Loch Lomond. In addition, Colin created the highly-successful Scottish Curry Awards.

GLC's Principal Solicitor, Mike Dailly said: "We are delighted to welcome Colin Grant to Govan Law Centre as our media consultant.  Colin is an outstanding journalist with a first class track record and Govan Law Centre's Board of Trustees is confident he will make a major contribution to our work".

GLC launches new 'Schools Trust' for Govan kids and invites grant applications from schools

Govan Coat of Arms with motto 'Nihili
Sine Labore' (Nothing Without Work)

GLC has today launched a new charity called the 'Govan Law Centre Schools Trust' (Scottish charity number SCO42451), with the objective of promoting the advancement of education by making small grants to schools in the Greater Govan area of Glasgow.

Fundraising has already been undertaken by GLC to enable the first round of grants to be made by the end of October 2011.  Headteachers of local primary and secondary schools in the Greater Govan area have today been sent a letter inviting them to make an application for a grant(s) by 22 September 2011.

Individual grants are unlikely to be awarded in excess of £250. There is no formal application form and no additional prescriptive rules as the GLC Schools Trust believe that local schools will be in the best position to know what would be a good use of grant funding.

GLC backs Scottish Government's position on RBS plc v. Wilson

Govan Law Centre (GLC) supports and welcomes the Scottish Government's decision to take no legislative action in light of the UK Supreme Court's decision in RBS plc v. Wilson and others as the 'right thing to do' in the circumstances. 

While the majority of consultees alleged that the implications of this case would be negative, GLC believes there is no empirical evidence to back up such assertions, and that the Scottish Government was correct to advocate no law reform response, particulary so in the current climate of forebearance and difficult economic circumstances.

GLC's Principal Solicitor, Mike Dailly said: "Calling-up notices are the equivalent of 'default notices' for consumer credit debts and they serve a useful purpose in enabling the debtor to address problems before litigation can be raised. The only difference with a mortgage is the fact it is secured on heritable property and it is therefore entirely consistent to support the requirement for lenders to serve calling-up notices prior to entitlement to raise litigation. It is in the interests of both parties, lender and borrower".

"It is also instructive to note that some lenders and their solicitors did generally serve calling-up notices and did so as a matter of good practice without any difficulty".

"GLC rejects the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) assertion that the Wilson decision may not be in the 'best interests' of borrowers. For those with no prospects of retaining ownership or occupancy of their homes a calling-up notice can act as a spur to selling their property with or without their lenders assistance, and for those that need more flexibility to pay their debts the calling-up notice acts as a spur to take advice to set up a repayment solution which the lender would have to explore in any event in terms of the Pre-Action Requirements'.

"What the CML calls 'delay' is in fact a sensible and reasonable opportunity for practical solutions to be brokered and found to enable the mortgage to be paid, arrears cleared and homeowners to retain their homes. GLC is pleased the Scottish Government has acted to safeguard the rights of vulnerable homeowners in Scotland".