Legislation to improve Scotland's ''slow, inefficient and expensive'' civil courts has been given Royal Assent.

The Courts Reform (Scotland) Bill, which was passed unanimously by MSPs last month, is now enshrined in law.

The bill is designed to make access to the civil justice system quicker and reduce costs and delays for litigants, who previously have had to take civil cases of more than £5,000 to the Court of Session for resolution.

The legislation will mean sheriffs can now deal with cases up to £100,000.

A new specialist personal injury court will be established to free up the Court of Session to focus on more complex cases.

Under the new law, summary sheriffs will deal with some types of criminal and civil cases in the sheriff courts and a national Sheriff Appeal Court will be created.

Family, housing, personal injury and commercial law will also be assigned to specialist sheriffs.

The legislation implements many of the recommendations of a review by Lord Gill, lord president of the Court of Session, who described Scotland's courts as ''slow, inefficient and expensive''.

Lord Gill has announced his intention to appoint Sheriff Principal Mhairi Stephen as president of the new Sheriff Appeal Court and Sheriff Principal Craig Scott as vice-president.

He said: "These reforms will safeguard the integrity of Scots law by creating an efficient court structure.

"Every case will be heard by the appropriate court. The system will be accessible and cost-effective for the litigant.

"My colleagues and I in the review team are particularly grateful to the Scottish Parliament for having passed into law almost all of our recommendations."

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "Our courts have remained relatively unchanged for decades but this new legislation will bring about the most important change for Scottish courts for more than a generation.

"This is a hugely important step forward in making Scotland's civil justice system more accessible, affordable and efficient for those people who need to resolve civil disputes.

"We have listened to and accepted concerns from some stakeholders and made amendments to ensure that people get access to the most appropriate legal representation in their cases.

"I am confident that the reformed courts structure, including the new national specialist personal injury court, will ensure that cases can be raised and dealt with quickly and effectively, and there is easier and more affordable access to justice."