Heard of #iGavel? Introducing #AyeGavel: A (Light-Hearted yet Meaningful) Campaign for Gavels in Scottish Courts

by ScotsLawBlog on January 26, 2025

In the spirit of innovation and tradition, we are excited to announce the launch of the #AyeGavel campaign, a light-hearted yet meaningful initiative aimed at introducing gavels into the Scottish Courts system. While gavels are not currently a feature of courts in Scotland—or indeed, elsewhere in the United Kingdom—their symbolic association with justice and formality is well-recognised worldwide.

This campaign is more than a whimsical nod to tradition; it is an opportunity to explore how small, symbolic changes might bring a touch of gravitas to the courtroom environment. At a time when the legal profession is navigating technological and procedural advancements, such as the integration of artificial intelligence, it seems only fitting to consider whether embracing an icon of judicial authority might also have its place.

Our proposal is simple: introduce gavels into Scottish Courts as a symbolic gesture that reflects both tradition and progress. In doing so, Scotland could stand out among the UK’s devolved nations and perhaps even strengthen ties with jurisdictions where the gavel is a recognised feature of legal proceedings, including the United States and, intriguingly, our historical allies in France.

As part of this initiative, we also envision linking the campaign with a broader legal aid programme to support access to justice. By connecting these efforts, we hope to underscore the importance of both tradition and accessibility in the legal system.

How Can #AyeGavel Make a Difference for the Purposes of Justice in Scotland?

To introduce gavels into Scottish courts within five years, the following three practical steps would be crucial:

1. Engage Stakeholders and Build Consensus

  • Key Actions: Initiate discussions with relevant stakeholders, including the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, the Faculty of Advocates, the Law Society of Scotland, and judiciary representatives.
  • Objective: Assess the feasibility, gauge interest, and address potential concerns, such as the symbolic relevance of gavels in Scottish legal traditions.
  • Strategy: Highlight potential benefits, such as formalising court proceedings, aligning with international practices, and enhancing public perception of justice.

2. Pilot Programme in Select Courts

  • Key Actions: Conduct a pilot programme in select Sheriff Courts or Court of Session divisions to test the practical and symbolic impact of gavels in proceedings.
  • Objective: Evaluate the response from judges, lawyers, and court users, gathering data on practicality and public reception.
  • Strategy: Secure funding for the pilot (via legal aid initiatives or crowdfunding), ensuring that costs remain minimal and manageable.

3. Amend Court Rules and Procedures

  • Key Actions: If the pilot is successful, propose updates to the Scottish Court Rules, detailing when and how gavels should be used. Engage legislative bodies, such as the Scottish Parliament, if necessary, to ensure alignment with existing legal frameworks.
  • Objective: Institutionalise the use of gavels within the legal framework to formalise their role in courtrooms.
  • Strategy: Collaborate with legal historians and procedural experts to ensure the change respects Scotland’s legal traditions while embracing modernisation.

By approaching this systematically—gaining support, piloting the concept, and embedding it into procedural rules—it would be possible to introduce gavels thoughtfully and effectively within five years.

Gavels are £10 each on Amazon…

We are at the beginning of this journey and welcome your ideas and support. Whether it’s a suggestion on how to implement this change or simply a willingness to contribute to the cause (a starter gavel costs just £10 on Amazon for instance, if there are any accountants who could do the sums?), your input could help turn this campaign into a reality.

For Scotland’s Forward-Thinking Legal Heritage

Would be great to hear from anyone who thinks this is a promising idea – a light-hearted yet meaningful quest to bring a new symbol of justice into Scotland’s forward-thinking legal heritage. With the likes of Hume, Atkin and Smith we used to lead from the front. Can we do that again, with this one small step?

Best wishes,

#GavWard #AyeGavel #ScotsLaw #LegalAid #Scotland

P.S. this all started over Christmas when writing about a potential future of law from near when Rabbie Burns lived. See Can AI Robert Burns or Adam Smith Improve Modern Scots Law? How Can Scotland Improve Law, Practice and Access to Justice with Respect to Ward’s Law? I added a P.P.S. footnote to that article where I wrote:-

P.P.S. sorry about the gavel. They’re not in Courts of the jurisdictions around the UK…yet. For the number of times and indeed wasted time I’ve heard people making this point, and to inject a bit more formality into the legal system, could someone in the Scottish Courts systems not perhaps consider going here https://www.amazon.co.uk/gavel/s?k=gavel and look to have a positive effect on updating procedures? AI is, seemingly, going to be showing a LOT more gavels in its images in the coming years. It could help the Scottish legal system stand out compared to the other devolved nations of the UK, for instance, and bring it into line with our friends in the US? But not Canada – they have neither gavels nor wigs…

As the famous publishing lawyer Franz Kafka said almost 100 years ago, paths are made by walking, so after a few weeks of percolation following that publication above, I published the following on Bluesky :-

This year we may start a pro bono campaign to bring gavels back to Scottish courts. Perhaps coupled with a legal aid initiative. No idea how to achieve that mind you? Anyone able to help? It’s £10 per gavel on Amazon as a starter for ten… #igavel #legalaid #law #scotland #scotslaw

— ScotsLawBlog – Scots Law Insights (@scotslawblog.bsky.social) 25 January 2025 at 00:47

See also www.economist.com/briefing/199… + www.iclr.co.uk/blog/archive… #igavel #ayegavel #lawsky

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— ScotsLawBlog – Scots Law Insights (@scotslawblog.bsky.social) 25 January 2025 at 08:47

Had a lightbulb idea this morning. The opposite of iGavel which seeks to shame and humiliate improper use of gavels, new campaign could be called #AyeGavel And, re Auld Alliance, our friends in France also have gavels (marteau / marteaux?) Anyone want to join me on the quest, mission, thing? …

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— ScotsLawBlog – Scots Law Insights (@scotslawblog.bsky.social) 25 January 2025 at 08:47

Happy Burns Day / Night www.scotslawblog.com/scots-law/ca… ✍️📜🪶🥃🌾🌹🎶🪕🏞️🐭🐱🐦🌻🕯️🎩🏡🍂💔❤️🦌🌍📖🎤☀️🎻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #tothebard #scotslaw #law #scotland #poetryiscode #codeispoetry P.S. could someone please try to take up the gavel idea at the bottom of the article? 🙏

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— ScotsLawBlog – Scots Law Insights (@scotslawblog.bsky.social) 25 January 2025 at 00:30

Anyone want to help us take this idea forward? Use #AyeGavel on social media channels. Thank you very much. ^G

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