The Scottish Young Lawyers Association (SYLA) has today welcomed the policy statement issued by the Law Society regarding trainee redundancies and has called upon affected members to contact them.

Last month the Law Society said that normal contract law applies to offers and acceptances of future traineeships.

"It is the Society's view that a Training Contract may not be terminated by reason of redundancy. However, any firm or trainee who is affected by these issues should seek legal advice and assess the potential risks and liabilities involved," they said.

A spokesperson for the SYLA said:

“We are increasingly being contacted by members, in particular trainee solicitors, regarding redundancy, many of whom have no idea of where they stand in relation to their rights under the training contract. We are currently in the process of obtaining our own advice regarding the status of the training contract and how best to take matters forward on behalf our members. In the meantime, we welcome the Law Society’s policy statement of 13 February 2009 and request than any members affected contact us immediately.”