New Rules have been made in relation to ongoing court reforms. The Rules, which come into force on 28 November, 2016, deal with changes to sections 87, 100 and 101 of the Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.

A vacancy has arisen for a new advocate member for the Council. Those interested in the post should submit an application by midnight on Friday, 26 August.

New Rules introduce a compulsory Personal Injury Pre-Action Protocol which will apply to certain claims of damages up to the value of £25,000 in local sheriff courts and the all-Scotland Personal Injury Court.

The Act of Sederunt (Sheriff Court Rules Amendment) (Personal Injury Pre-Action Protocol) 2016 introduces a new chapter into both the Ordinary Cause Rules (Chapter 3A) and the Summary Cause Rules (Chapter 4A) requiring parties to a prospective action of damages for personal injury to comply with a compulsory protocol prior to commencing proceedings.

The Council has now published its Annual Programme detailing how it will deliver on its priorities for 2016 - 17.

The main content of this miscellaneous Act of Sederunt are amendments to the Act of Sederunt (Sheriff Appeal Court Rules) 2015, which have been made by the Council following feedback on the operation of the Sheriff Appeal Court since it was established on 1 January 2016. It also contains minor and consequential amendments to various other sheriff court rules as a result of these procedural changes within the Sheriff Appeal Court.

The latest edition of the Council's newsletter, Update, is now available.

The Council has now published its third Annual Report outlining its achievements, accounts and a summary of the rules prepared during the year.

The new Simple Procedure Rules have now been laid before Parliament. See Latest Court Rules below for details.

The Act of Sederunt (Simple Procedure) 2016 provides rules of court, forms and a set of standard orders for the simple procedure which will replace the small claims procedure for cases which have a value of £5,000 or less in the sheriff court.