This is the text of an open letter sent yesterday to Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill and supported by The Firm, written by solicitor Raymond Maclennan.

An open letter to:

Kenny MacAskill MSP
Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Justice
The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP

Dear Mr MacAskill,

You'll be pleased to know that you don't need to read the whole of this letter. Here is the gist.

After due consultation, a clause should be inserted into the Legal Services (Scotland) Bill to commit all lawyers working in Scotland to donate a minimum of 20 hours a year to pro-bono work for the poor and needy, as part of their requirement to renew their annual practising certificate.

Law firms could designate a set time, say Wednesday afternoons from 3-5pm as Pro-Bono time and take appointments. This would relieve the pressure on Citizen's Advice Bureaux and the small number of lawyers who donate upwards of 100 hours a year to such causes.

Greater minds than mine can work out the details, but in principle, why not?

Yes, lawyers are in business to make a profit and to make money, but they also want to make a difference. This is an opportunity to make that difference, to give something back and set a principled example to make Scotland and Scots Law unique in the world once again.

This complete suggestion first appeared in my Blog, and is endorsed by the Firm magazine, which will publicly support the proposal and encourage its acceptance.

Raymond Maclennan