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News
Merger - Walker Love & James Reid & Son. - 6th April 2009On 6th April 2009 Walker Love formally merged with James Reid & Son to form Scotland's largest Partnership of Messengers-at-Arms & Sheriff Officers operating from 13 service centres throughout the length and breadth of the Country. Our respective firms have enjoyed a mutually rewarding business relationship over many years providing high quality services to clients throughout Scotland and the UK. From a client’s perspective this is very good news indeed, as a consolidation of two highly respected firms will ultimately lead to enhanced service delivery, whilst at the same time retaining the essential intimate and professional relationship we maintain with all our clients.
Office Restructure - Fife - 3rd March 2009
With effect from 2nd March 2009, as part of our ongoing business plans, Walker Love's Fife offices in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy have now been amalgamated. Client services for the Fife area will now be serviced from - Walker Love Wemyssfield House Wemyssfield Kirkcaldy, KY1 1XN Tel No: 01592 200184 Fax No: 01592 201815 DX Box No: KY 8 Legal Post: LP 5, Kirkcaldy. To minimise any inconvenience to our clients, we have arranged to redirect all telephone calls and external mail.
New Edinburgh Office - 15th October 2008
As part of our ongoing business expansion plans, Walker Love are pleased to announce that as from Monday, 13th October 2008 we will operate from a new Office in the Edinburgh City Centre. Our new Edinburgh base and public counter will be relocated at 19 Dublin Street Lane South, Edinburgh, EH1 3PX. To minimise inconvenience to clients we have arranged to retain the same telephone number, fax number, DX and LP mailing addresses.
Rebrand! - 17th September 2008
Following the successful merger of George Walker & Co. and H M Love & Co. on 1st November 2006, we are pleased to announce that as of 5th May 2008, the firm re-branded its operations as Walker Love. The decision to re-brand as Walker Love is the first step in a major strategic programme geared at positioning the firm as the number one provider of legal enforcement and revenues management services in Scotland. The re-branding is the start of an exciting new phase of development and expansion over the next five years. Our focus will be to develop the number and level of services on offer to our clients and provide stronger local coverage to new and existing clients in both the private and public sectors. We will continue to invest heavily in staff and new technology to support this growth whilst operating from our existing network of offices throughout Scotland.
THE BANKRUPTCY AND DILIGENCE ETC (SCOTLAND) ACT 2007…..WHAT NEXT? - 12th September 2007
As Scotland settles into a new political era, David Walker, Managing Partner of the country’s foremost firm of Messengers-At-Arms and Sheriff Officers, George Walker & Co, ponders the implications for the industry. "Having penned several articles for this fine publication in which we have endeavoured to highlight the many exciting developments contained within the Bankruptcy and Diligence Etc., (Scotland) Act 2007, we now find that, despite the fairly intense consultation phase followed by the legislative process being completed at breakneck speed, there is now no clear timetable for actual implementation. I am sure that it has not escaped your attention that the Scottish Nationalist Party won the recent Scottish Parliamentary Election. One consequence of this democracy in motion is that we now have a new Minister with the Justice portfolio in the guise of Kenny McAskill. No doubt it will take Mr McAskill and his colleagues some time to assimilate to their new roles. Our own professional association, the Society of Messenger-at-Arms and Sheriff Officers is eager to meet with Mr McAskill to start dialogue with a view to working closely with the new political masters of the Scottish Executive, for the greater good of civil enforcement throughout Scotland. Not surprisingly, his Diary is rather full at present, however, we remain hopeful for an early audience. The big question now to be answered is, will the new administration fully embrace the Act and if so, when will the essential secondary legislation follow, thereby providing the four brand new diligences of Land Attachment, Interim Attachment, Residual Attachment and Money Attachment. Of great importance to the Sheriff Officer profession, what is to become of the proposed Scottish Civil Enforcement Commission which has been criticised in some quarters on the grounds of costs. Currently, the existing Society of Messengers-at-Arms and Sheriff Officers provides many of the services allocated to the new quango, all of which are provided free of charge to the public purse, but for how much longer? It appears the Scottish Executive is keeping its cards close to its chest, and if anyone knows, they are not prepared to say! In the meantime rumours abound and the most optimistic indication thus far is April 2008. Hopefully we will have a much clearer idea in the very near future to facilitate forwarding planning and preparation. The stated purpose of the Bill was “to provide or make possible the last of the reforms intended to deliver a unified system of debt recovery, debt management and debt relief”. As a practitioner on the sharp end of Civil Enforcement, I believe it would be a tremendous pity if the very positive reforms proposed by the Act were to end up in some form of legislative limbo. The concept of Universal Attachability is very sound and worthy of immediate enactment. In the meantime however, Officers of Court will continue to enforce utilising the old chestnuts of Arrestment, Attachment and Earnings Arrestment?, or in other words, BUSINESS AS USUAL."
New Office site in Perth! - 12th September 2007
We are delighted to announce that as part of the strategic business expansion to support our growing Client base, on 1st April 2007 our Partnership opened it's 11th Office site at Unit B10, Highland House, St Catherines Road, Perth, PH1 5YA.
Scotland's Largest Partnership of Messengers-at-Arms & Sheriff Officers - 12th September 2007
Press release - 1st November 2006
Client Wins - 12th September 2007
Client Wins
George Walker & Co. have recently been awarded contracts for the provision of Revenues Collection Services by West Dunbartonshire Council, East Ayrshire Council, Renfrewshire Council, Highland Council, Argyll & Bute Council and Perth & Kinross Council.
This further demonstrates our Firm's ability to out perform the competition in providing high quality revenues collection services to our expanding council client base.
Legislation - 12th September 2007
Part 1 - Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002
As at the 30 November 2004, Part 1 of the above primary legislation came into force. In addition several other supplementary statutory instruments have since been enacted.
The purpose of the new legislation is to provide an individual with multiple debts the opportunity to repay his creditors without being pursued by way of diligence (Scottish Judgment Enforcement Procedures).
It is the responsibility of the debtor to locate an approved Money Advisor who will assist in making a formal application for a Debt Arrangement Scheme. Thereafter the Money Advisor will liaise with the DAS Administrator who will sanction the Scheme. Creditors also have an opportunity to contest which may result in a hearing before a Sheriff.
Before the debtor can make such an Application he must have multiple Creditors and Disposable Income. Once the scheme is approved, it is the responsibility of the debtor to sign a mandate requiring his employer to make regular deductions to another party known as a Payment Distributor. In turn the Payment Distributor will distribute the funds amongst all known creditors on a pro rata basis and charge a fee not exceeding 10% of the total remittance.
The DAS Scheme will stay in place until such time as the debt is paid in full, defaults or he is sequestrated.
We must stress that there is nothing to prevent a Creditor raising a court action against a debtor, however once Decree it is obtained then it will not be possible to enforce by way of Charge, Earnings Arrestment, Bank Arrestment or any other diligence (excluding Inhibition).
To assist debtors and creditors the Scottish Executive have created a Website i.e. www.moneyscotland.org.uk. Please refer to this site for more detailed information. It is George Walker & Co.'s intention to have online access so that we can monitor as and when debtors go live with a Debt Arrangement Scheme, however at this stage there are no such Schemes in place nor we understand the apparatus for George Walker & Company to obtain online access.
It is our further understanding that as at today's date there are no approved Money Advisors and for the aforementioned reasons it is unlikely that creditors will have much to worry about in the immediate future.
Should you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact David Walker, Managing Partner, George Walker & Co., on 0141 248 8224