Vast majority of incidents took place in legal environments
Many Scottish solicitors are victims of violence or threats while doing their work, a study by the Law Society of Scotland has found.
In a survey of 1,156 solicitors, 12% said they have experienced violence, 33% said they have experienced threatening conduct, and 27% said they have experienced threatening communications.
The Law Society said that 90% of incidents took place within solicitors’ offices or in a court or tribunal environment.
The study also found that just 20% of physical attacks on solicitors were reported to the police. Women were less likely than men to report incidents, the study said.
More than 60% of violent incidents were due to clients or former clients, or the opposing party’s solicitor.
Criminal defence solicitors were found to be most at risk, with 45% of those who responded reporting more than four incidents in the last five years. Among criminal defence solicitors, 39% have been victims of violence, 70% have been victims of threatening behaviour,
Among family lawyers, 25% have been victims of violence and 54% have been victims of threatening behaviour. Among prosecutors, 19% have been victims of violence and 61% have been victims of threatening behaviour.
