News

Scottish prisons are substantially overcrowded relative to most of Europe, new figures show. The Council of Europe’s Annual Penal Statistics on Prison Populations for 2020, showed that, as of 31 January 2020, there were 8,056 inmates and 7,725 prison spaces in Scotland – or 104.3 inmates

The Home Office has come under fire after confirming plans to send asylum seekers to live in "squalor and inhumane conditions" at a former military site. The Napier Barracks site in Kent, run by private contractor Clearsprings Ready Homes, was the centre of controversy earlier this year after nearly

Writing in Scottish Legal News today, Quis? – a group of senior retired lawyers who have held high office in Scotland – express concerns over the Crown Office's behaviour during the Salmond inquiry and call for reform to prevent prosecutors from overstepping their role. Contemp

Lady Justice Rose will be sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court in a closed event next Tuesday. Only a small number of guests will be allowed to attend the ceremony in person, but it will also be streamed live from the UKSC website.

The Tenant Farming Commissioner (TFC) has published a guide to Relinquishment and Assignation (R&A). Kate McLeish explains the details. The R&A measure allows secure agricultural tenants to offer to relinquish their tenancy to the landlord in exchange for statutory compensation. If the landl

Jae Fassam, partner at law firm CMS, discusses the increasing role of Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) in Scottish businesses. As Scotland recovers from COVID-19 and businesses adjust to a new, post-Brexit landscape, rebuilding the economy in a sustainable manner will be the core focus over the

Terra Firma Chambers’ 2021 Webinar Series will continue with three further events in April and May. On Thursday 22nd April at 11am, TFC will present a webinar focusing on The Inquiries Act 2005 with Stuart Gale QC and Denis Edwards.

The Scottish Young Lawyers' Association (SYLA) is hosting an event on networking. This session will run through the science behind networking (including online), and guide participants through creating a practical strategy to achieving the most from networking.

Police have seized luxury cars, villas, cash and shares from a ring of lottery workers who allegedly used their positions to reap millions of euros. An IT worker at Lottomatica, Italy's national lottery, allegedly developed software to identify which packets of scratch cards had a winner and which s

A petition by the BBC challenging the restrictions placed upon the reporting of an Employment Tribunal claim worth over £2 million against the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry has been refused by the Outer House of the Court of Session. The chair of the SCAI, Lady Smith, who took ov

Harper Macleod LLP has announced eight new partners as it emerges strongly from a financial year dominated by the pandemic. The eight new partners are: Natalie Dissake (debt and asset recovery), Amy Walsh (business development), Kathleen Martin (private client), Marina Harper (personal injury),

Solicitor and politician Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh is to appear before the Scottish Solicitors' Discipline Tribunal (SSDT) next month. A virtual preliminary hearing in Law Society v Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh will take place on May 11.

Titans of the bench and bar feature in Lady Paton's charming first-hand account of Dunlop v McGowans – her choice of top Session Case. Vote for your top three here. My choice for top Session Case is Dunlop v McGowans, the Inner House decision on prescription reported in 1979 SC 22. T

It has been announced that there is to be a consultation on the retention/abolition of the 'not proven' verdict. Some of those proposing its removal have prayed in support of their approach a statement by Sir Walter Scott that the verdict is a “bastard verdict”. Others have said that ret

Burness Paull has underlined its commitment to diversity and the health of its staff by appointing a dedicated inclusion and wellbeing manager. In what is believed to be a first for a Scottish corporate law firm, Emma Smith has taken up a new post dedicated to overseeing the firm’s respect and