Scotland runs its own legal system — its own courts from justice of the peace to the High Court of Justiciary and Court of Session, its own criminal procedure, its own tenancy regime, its own time limits, even its own drink-drive limit. English answers are routinely wrong here, and most national helplines don't know the difference. Ours does: call any hour and an AI legal assistant trained on Scots law explains where you stand — free, unlimited questions, 24/7. Legal information rather than legal advice; no solicitor-client relationship. When you want a solicitor's judgment on your case, a one-hour consultation is a fixed £145, booked on the call.
Free legal information. Not legal advice. Available 24/7 across Scotland.
Call any hour and describe what's happening — detained in Glasgow, an eviction notice in Edinburgh, a separation, a debt — and our AI legal assistant gives you clear legal information under Scots law specifically: your rights, the procedure, the deadlines. That last part matters more here than anywhere — Scotland's five-year prescription can extinguish a debt entirely, its personal-injury and unfair-dismissal clocks run differently, and its drink-drive limit (22 micrograms) is nearly half England's. The service is free, 24/7, with no limit on questions; it's legal information, not legal advice on your specific case, and no solicitor-client relationship arises. If you're in police custody: you have the right to a solicitor before and during interview, free under legal aid for that advice, and — unlike England — no inference can be drawn from your silence. A one-hour consultation with an expert solicitor is a fixed £145, bookable while you're on the line.
Most UK legal content online is written about England and Wales without saying so — and following it in Scotland can cost you a case. The tells: any mention of "section 21" or "assured shorthold tenancies" (abolished here since 2017 — Scotland has PRTs and a tribunal); "you have six years to be sued for a debt" (five here, and the debt then ceases to exist); "silence can harm your defence" (it can't in Scotland — the English caution doesn't apply); "the magistrates' court" (we have sheriffs and JPs); "you're safe to drive after a pint" (not at 22 micrograms). Even UK-wide employment law arrives through Scottish tribunals with Scottish judges applying Scots contract law to the edges. The practical rule: check the jurisdiction line on anything you read — every page in our Scotland library says Scotland at the top, and our line confirms which nation's law governs your problem in the first minute of the call.
Scotland's free-help network is genuinely strong — legal aid survives more broadly here than in England, and the housing tribunal costs nothing. These are the anchors; the Glasgow and Edinburgh guides add the local specialists.
Wherever you are in Scotland, the line is free and answered 24/7 — including:
Is this helpline actually trained on Scots law, or just UK law generally?
Scots law specifically. Scotland's system differs from England's at almost every point that decides real cases — court structure, criminal procedure, tenancy law, time limits, the drink-drive limit — and our AI legal assistant is trained on those differences. Call any hour, free, with unlimited questions; you get legal information rather than legal advice on your specific case, and no solicitor-client relationship arises. For a solicitor's judgment on your own matter, a one-hour consultation is a fixed £145, booked on the call.
I've been detained by Police Scotland — what are my rights?
You're entitled to a solicitor before and during interview — free for that custody advice, no means test — and to have someone told where you are. Crucially, Scotland draws no adverse inference from silence: staying quiet cannot be used against you at trial, which makes "wait for the solicitor" even safer advice here than in England. Standard detention runs up to 12 hours before charge. The fiscal, not the police, decides what happens next — including non-court alternatives like fiscal fines. Our Scotland criminal guide covers the full journey.
My landlord wants me out — what protects me in Scotland?
More than almost anywhere in the UK. Every private tenancy granted since December 2017 is an open-ended private residential tenancy: no fixed term to expire, no no-fault route. Eviction needs one of 18 statutory grounds, correct notice (28 or 84 days by circumstances), and then an order from the free Housing and Property Chamber tribunal — where every ground is discretionary, meaning the tribunal must also find eviction reasonable. Illegal eviction is criminal and can bring damages up to 36 months' rent. Our Scotland housing guide has the full detail.
Is the drink-drive limit really lower in Scotland?
Yes — 22 micrograms per 100ml of breath against England's 35, since December 2014. A single pint or large glass of wine can put many adults over. The penalty structure matches the rest of Britain: a mandatory 12-month minimum ban, unlimited fine, up to six months' imprisonment at the top end, and the rehabilitation course offer (up to a quarter off the ban) decided at sentencing. The practical Scottish rule is none: don't drive after drinking at all. Details in our Scotland drink-driving guide.
How do time limits differ in Scotland — and why does it matter so much?
Scotland runs prescription, not just limitation — after five years, most contract and debt obligations are extinguished entirely, not merely unenforceable, and no acknowledgment revives them. Personal injury: three years, but Scottish courts apply the discretion to extend differently. The unique trap: a former cohabitant's financial claim must be raised within one year of separation — miss it and the right is gone regardless of merit. Employment claims: three months to start ACAS conciliation (six months for claims about acts from 1 October 2026). When someone calls us, the deadline check comes first.
Does UK employment law apply in Scotland?
Yes — employment law is Great-Britain-wide, so everything in our employment guide (the two-year unfair-dismissal threshold falling to six months on 1 January 2027, the compensation cap abolition, day-one discrimination rights) applies in Scotland identically. What's Scottish is the machinery: tribunals sit in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, and contract questions at the edges (restrictive covenants, wrongful dismissal) run on Scots contract law. ACAS early conciliation remains the mandatory, free first step.
From sheriff court criminal work to tribunal evictions to family actions, our 24/7 line meets people across Scotland at the moment they need advice — and books them into £145 fixed-fee consultations. If you practise in Scotland and want pre-triaged, paying clients in your field, we'd like to hear from you.
General legal information, not legal advice. We research every page from primary sources — legislation, the courts, and government legal-aid bodies — and check it for accuracy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us at admin@platfirm.ai.
The five-year prescription, the one-year cohabitant deadline, the 22-microgram limit, the tribunal that replaced eviction courts — Scotland rewards people who check the Scottish rule and punishes those who follow English answers. Our free line is live now, 24/7, trained on Scots law, with no limit on your questions. We are not a law firm; it's legal information, not legal advice, and no solicitor-client relationship arises. When you want an expert solicitor on your specific problem, a one-hour consultation is a fixed £145 — bookable right on the call.
Free legal information. Not legal advice.