Parliament House in Edinburgh houses eight stables which share facilities in the building, and sit shoulder to shoulder with Scotland’s senior courts in the same space. The Faculty of Advocates manages Faculty Services Limited, which employs the stables’ clerks (unlike English and Welsh chambers, where clerks are employed by chambers’ members). Those who are used to litigating before the courts of England and Wales will find an equally high quality, but differently structured profession, using distinct terminology in its application to Scots law. Scotland’s KC system acts completely independently of the systems in England and Northern Ireland, and the Scottish system of legal education also being radically differentiated, with Scottish advocates have to complete the same training as solicitors in a law firm before commencing devilling – many have had careers as solicitors before commencing their advocacy career.

One distinct trend noted by the stables is the substantial increase in instructions involving high-profile public inquiries, for example the COVID-19 and Scottish Hospital inquiries, and Fatal Accident Inquiries (which have some superficial similarities to, but are radically different from, the English system of inquests) have also been prominent in advocates’ workloads. Additionally, the implementation of National Planning Framework 4, which seeks to address issues surrounding sustainability and climate change, among other areas, has had a significant impact in the legal world. Optimum Advocates in Glasgow is the only stable not primarily based in Edinburgh, and has established strength in handling complex criminal work.