The Stair Society was founded in 1934 to encourage the study and advance the knowledge of the history of Scots Law by the publication of original documents and by the reprinting and editing of works of sufficient rarity or importance.

The Society, a registered charity, has produced some 60 volumes, aiming to publish a volume each year (although this is not guaranteed). Some of these are of antiquarian interest, while others are of wider intellectual and historical significance.

Membership is open to all with an interest in the history of Scots law, in the UK or abroad. Members include practising lawyers, legal academics, law students, and a wide range of academic and professional institutions, libraries and law firms.