LAWYER groups have backed early resolutions for less serious criminal cases to help clear a three-year trial backlog which has built up during the pandemic. Sheriff Court summary criminal cases, where a sheriff hears a case sitting alone without a jury, widely resumed in Scotland yesterday after being largely suspended for more than three months. Under summary trials, the maximum jail term is 12 months and the biggest fine is £10,000. David Fisken, the vice president of the Glasgow Bar Association, warned there was a theoretical danger of people accused of crimes pleading guilty because they could spend longer on remand than any custodial sentence they may receive.