The Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) supports communities to engage with, participate in, and benefit from the energy transition to net zero emissions. We help communities to benefit from renewable energy by supporting them to explore opportunities to share ownership in commercially owned projects or to develop their own renewable energy projects – whether that’s a community-owned wind turbine or a heat pump on a community building.

Subject to funding availability, communities can access support from CARES to seek necessary legal advice for these projects.

We recognise that CARES-funded communities and organisations can find it challenging to identify suitable advisors for these activities.

We have established the community legal advice services supplier list to help communities identify advisors to support them to undertake shared ownership and other renewable energy projects. We will direct communities to use the list to help them identify suitable suppliers as part of their procurement process.

The Community Legal Advice services Supplier List provides the following details:

  • supplier name
  • contact details
  • the services offered
  • the areas where the supplier works
  • where provided, details of up to three outputs from previous work with community organisations.

What are the criteria for joining the list? 

To join the community engagement services supplier list, suppliers must:

  • provide links to The Legal 500 recognition
  • be willing to engage with communities and respond to invitations to tender
  • be able to demonstrate experience on at least three relevant projects.

How often will the list be updated? 

The list will typically be updated each month.

The list will run to March 2025. Where the list is extended, suppliers will be contacted to confirm if they wish to remain on the list.

About inclusion on the community legal advice supplier list 

Suppliers will only be included on the list where they have completed an application form and have been approved by Local Energy Scotland staff.

Successful suppliers will normally be listed to March 2025.

Suppliers may request adjustment to their details by re-submitting an application form.

Suppliers may request removal from the list by contacting us.

Where we are advised by a CARES-supported community of concerns regarding the delivery of services by a supplier on the list, we will review the concern and seek feedback from the supplier and may remove the supplier from the list.

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