Gordon Watson offers free legal help to those left behind by Scotland’s ‘broken’ legal aid system
A Glasgow solicitor is fighting back against Scotland’s “crisis-hit” legal aid system — by offering his services completely free of charge.
Gordon Watson, 36, who worked for six years as a court lawyer, has launched legal clinics across Glasgow’s east end to assist those unable to afford legal representation. With fewer than 1,000 of Scotland’s 13,000 solicitors accepting legal aid work — and 41% of them reportedly planning to leave — Watson believes drastic action is needed.
“Legal aid is supposed to be like a welfare system,” he explained. “It exists to help those who can’t pay the often extortionate private fees. But entire parts of Scotland are now left without coverage.”
Watson said he was “caught off guard” by the volume and seriousness of the enquiries since opening his clinic. Far from trivial matters, cases have ranged from housing injustice to complex medical negligence claims.
One case, close to his heart, involves a 19-year-old man left permanently disabled after a botched biopsy three years ago. Once set on joining the Navy, the young man had to withdraw from service due to the damage to his left arm. Although he initially had a solicitor, they abandoned the case — likely due to cost-benefit analysis.
Embed from Getty Images“These types of cases are rarely taken on under legal aid,” Watson explained. “Big firms work on a no-win-no-fee basis, but only if they’re confident of a profitable result. Even strong cases can be dropped if the numbers don’t add up.”
Watson’s commitment to medical negligence cases stems from personal experience: his own mother endured months of catheter use following a botched C-section, a trauma that first sparked his interest in law.
But medical errors aren’t the only crisis he’s tackling. Watson is seeing a surge in housing-related inquiries, from tenants facing exploitative rent hikes to dangerous living conditions like damp and mould.
However, the most harrowing stories come from those trapped in the family courts — often for years. “I’ve seen dads rack up bills of £50,000 just trying to see their children,” Watson revealed. “One man’s case has been dragging on in Glasgow Sheriff Court since 2016. That’s nearly a decade.”
In many cases, parents burn through savings just to stay involved in custody proceedings. When the money runs out, their options are bleak: self-representation or giving up.
Watson sees the decline of legal aid as a threat to justice itself, and insists that doing nothing is no longer an option.
“People say the issue is legal aid payments. But the real problem is what happens when people can’t access lawyers at all.”
His work is already gaining traction across Glasgow’s east end, where vulnerable residents often have nowhere else to turn. The grassroots initiative is now one of the few accessible avenues left for those facing eviction, financial hardship, or legal trauma.
But with the need growing by the day, Gordon Watson warns that systemic change is the only real solution. Until then, his legal clinics remain a lifeline for many — and a reminder that justice should never be a luxury.
