Reading time: 5 minutes
A student who raped a friend after she refused to have sex with him at his flat has lost a High Court appeal against his conviction based on an argument that his representation at trial was defective. Oluwatayo Dada was convicted at Inverness High Court of one charge of sexual assault and another of
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Shepherd and Wedderburn has promoted Gavin Charlton to partner and Pamela Binnie and Roddy Forgie to legal director. Mr Charlton began his career at the firm in 2007 as a trainee, qualifying into the employee share incentives team in 2009.
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Clyde & Co has announced three senior promotions in Scotland, with Natalie Gibb and Claire Raftery made partner and Kimberley Mitchell promoted to legal director. Ms Gibb joined the firm in 2011 as a trainee solicitor in the Edinburgh office.
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Brodies LLP has appointed seven new partners in its latest round of internal promotions. Private client lawyers Nadine Walton and Stewart Gibson step up to partner, as do construction law expert Amy Pairman, banking and finance lawyer Peter Brading, rural business and natural capital specialist Andr
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Burges Salmon has promoted four of its Edinburgh-based lawyers, with Claire Logue becoming partner and Lauren Winters, Penny Shannon and Helen Woodford becoming directors. The independent UK law firm has appointed a total of 13 new partners and 19 new directors with effect from 1 May 2025 in its lar
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Dr Smita Kheria has been elected as chair of the Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA). Dr Kheria, a senior lecturer in intellectual property law at Edinburgh Law School, is the first woman of colour to hold the position since the association was established in 1990.
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Sean Austin and Katie Docherty have been reappointed as members of the Children’s Hearings Scotland (CHS) board. The pair have been appointed by Natalie Don-Innes, minister for children, young people and the Promise, for a further four-year term running from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2029.
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Lawyers have accused the Scottish government of intentionally delaying action on legal aid until after next year's Holyrood election. The Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) said the profession was being treated with contempt as it confirmed it will escalate its boycott of the government's su
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Family members involved in deaths in custody fatal accident inquiries (FAI) are to have immediate, free access to legal aid support and advice. Justice Secretary Angela Constance confirmed that she is using existing ministerial powers to remove means-testing for legal aid in such cases, so that from
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Defence solicitors are to boycott the Scottish government’s new Summary Case Management scheme in protest over legal aid fees. In the face of the Scottish government’s continued refusal to engage in meaningful talks with the profession, the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) "has
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Holyrood’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee has today launched a new call for views into civil legal assistance, covering civil legal aid and advice and assistance for civil issues, and grant funding for advice organisations. The call for views is part of a new inquiry whic
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Lawyers have threatened to boycott the Scottish government's new swifter justice scheme unless legal aid fees are increased. Members of the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) will not take part in summary cases heard as part of the new Summary Case Management (SCM) initiative.
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The rector of St Andrews University has won an appeal against her controversial exclusion from the university's governing body after she sent students an email condemning Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide. Stella Maris was dismissed from her roles as president of the university court and charity
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The University of Dundee's forensic science research hub is reportedly still under threat despite a new recovery plan which was said to rule out compulsory redundancies. The university has launched a "collective consultation" with staff of the Leverhulme Research Centre for Forensic Science, The Cou
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A toolkit for ensuring that human rights are at the heart of United Nations development programmes (UNDPs) has been produced by experts including a law professor at the University of Strathclyde. Professor Alan Miller is among four lead authors of the HRBA (Human Rights-Based Approach) To Developmen
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Dr Smita Kheria has been elected as chair of the Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA). Dr Kheria, a senior lecturer in intellectual property law at Edinburgh Law School, is the first woman of colour to hold the position since the association was established in 1990.
1 minute
A special feedback forum will be held to mark 10 years since the establishment of the Sheriff Appeal Court. The event on Wednesday 14 May will hear directly from those who use the court. Attendance is welcomed from advocates, solicitor advocates, solicitors, and others with experience of the appeals
Reading time: 1 minute
A man has been ordered to pay thousands of pounds in costs after losing an appeal over a £200 fine for his noisy cockerel. Neighbours of 80-year-old Hampshire man Harold Brown complained of being woken up at 5am by his cockerel crowing, the BBC reports.
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An enormous anti-Trump protest artwork has been etched into the beach next to the US president's Turnberry golf course. The sand art, measuring 55 metres by 40 metres, was created by Greenpeace UK to mark 100 days of Donald Trump's second stint in the White House.
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A famous ad campaign which discouraged viewers from pirating films on the basis they "wouldn't steal a car" may have used a stolen font. Bluesky users investigating which font was used in the ads, which were ubiquitous in the early 2000s, unearthed evidence that it was an "illegal clone" of a copyri
1 minute
A disgruntled former Disney employee who hacked into the company's computers to vandalise its restaurant menus has been jailed. Michael Scheuer, 40, made changes including altering menu information relating to wine regions to reflect locations of recent mass shootings.
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Police are on the hunt for a drug dealer believed to have hidden drug-filled eggs across a city as part of an Easter scavenger hunt. Five plastic eggs containing around seven grams of cannabis were allegedly hidden in spots across Lufkin, Texas, with clues to their locations posted on Facebook.
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