Thank you all for your responses, much appreciated.

I researched it a bit more and it looks like the principles of the R v Smith (2011) ruling are incorporated into Scots law, but not as a direct result of that ruling. It seems the ruling can be mentioned but Scottish courts may or may not consider it.

@JASB - thank you for that recommendation but as that solicitor is based in Reading, I'm assuming I won't be able to hire him, both due to the geographical distance and the differences between Scots law as opposed to England and Wales.

I suppose what I meant to ask was, are there any specific review sites, etc. that should be trusted more than others?
I found Scullion Law in Glasgow, who have a suspiciously high number of good reviews on both Trustpilot and ReviewSolicitor, but I'm not sure if that's due to them potentially incentivising good reviews for a discount or something like that.

I'm also unsure what's better - smaller or larger scale solicitors? Smaller scale solicitors may have a lack of resources but may be more inclined to prove themselves, whereas the opposite could be said for larger scale solicitors.
I just wish there was a way to see the outcomes of similar cases to mine that they have represented in the past, but I know that's highly unlikely due to confidentiality, etc.

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation recommended that I get an autism assessment via my solicitor but he refused and said it's something for my GP rather than him, but LF claim some of their previous clients have been successful in getting an autism assessment via a legal aid solicitor. Does anyone have any experience in this type of thing?

Hi
I used him remotely for the first application I did for my SOPO conditions. That hearing was in chambers and he didn't have to travel etc. he was also very good and honest in managing expectations if you get my meaning.
In regard to the other points I couldn't say but he is or was very good on remote communications

Re you looking at other case outcomes; my experience is forget that as it is down to the Judge's opinion.

In my case a similar scenario defendant but with more serious offences, received a non custodial sentence where I was sent down. Many people here know my story so I will not bore you with that but just to say external societal events changed the view of the Judge in sentencing. 

I had to push my solicitor to get a psychological assessment; on legal aid, which was not worth much at the trial but became useful at a later date when challenging things. 
For the record my pre sentence report recommended non custodial but that didnt hold much power.

Re big or small, I went big and at first unknown to me, I had a trainee managing my case and meeting me under guidance of a solicitor. At a later date the Legal Ombudsman found they acted incorrectly and awarded me compensation but that was too late.
In other words double check the qualifications and experienec of the person you are dealing with.

It has been nearly 3 months since "the knock" for me and thanks to this forum, I'm a lot more informed about the types of things to expect. Today I had a call with my legal aid solicitor and directly asked him if any restrictions imposed on me at the point of conviction would be challenged if deemed as disproportionate to my crime. He seemed to imply that he'd just accept whatever restrictions the court decides are fitting, and that I shouldn't make a fuss about it, which I wasn't pleased to hear.

Separately, I may be due to come into some money soon, so I was considering changing solicitor due to the above and other similar conversations. Does anyone have any tips on how best to choose a solicitor? I see a lot of them claiming that they are specialists in online sexual offences, but I don't know how to tell if that's true, or if it even makes a difference.

For context, my charge is related to indecent online communications with an older child and I live in Scotland.

I'm aware of the R v Smith (2011) ruling, but I'm unclear if that can be used as relevant case law when it comes to Scots law.