Appointments

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Solicitor Morag Ferguson has been appointed as a member of the Standards Commission for Scotland for a six-year term. The Standards Commission is responsible for ensuring councillors and board members of devolved public bodies meet the high standards of behaviour that the public is entitled to expec

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Hamiltons Law Accountants has strengthened its team with the appointment of Sharron Mullady as a senior administrator. Director David Hamilton said: "With years of extensive experience in administrative roles, Sharron brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Hamiltons Law Accountants."

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Watermans has welcomed its latest cohort of trainees. Rachel Durward, Robyn Lynch, Sonya Imtiaz and Bejna Demir have now all started their journey in dispute resolution. The new arrivals will be based at the firm’s office in Leith.

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Qasim Ali has returned to Lindsays as an associate following a spell away from the firm and will be based at its Glasgow city centre offices. Mr Ali was previously a solicitor with Lindsays between April 2021 and August 2023. He has experience in all areas of corporate law, with clients including in

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Richard Hermer KC, a barrister at Matrix Chambers and deputy High Court judge, has been appointed as the new attorney general of England and Wales. Born and raised in Wales, he studied politics and modern history at the University of Manchester before being called to the bar in 1993. Following pupil

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The Law Society of Scotland is to withdraw from discussions on the creation of a review mechanism for legal aid fees, stating it had "lost confidence" in the Scottish government project following a lack of progress in two years. The Legal Aid Remuneration Project and Research Analysis Group were set

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The number of criminal legal aid solicitors dropped from 1,459 in 2007 to 966, the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA) has said as it warned the system was heading for collapse. The Scottish government's public spend on legal aid has declined by 45 per cent, allowing for inflation, over the p

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The Scottish government’s 2024-25 budget continues its distorted and shortsighted approach to criminal justice, according to the Law Society of Scotland. The budget papers reveal an extra £22 million has been provided to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), while the f

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The Scottish Legal Aid Board has confirmed that as at 1 June 2023 there were 975 lawyers on the Criminal Legal Aid Register, following a freedom of information request by the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA). Of those 975, however, 238 received no payment for criminal legal aid in the year

Universities

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Dr Amy Lawton, senior lecturer in tax law at Edinburgh Law School, has received a Fulbright Award to enable her to research at Villanova Law School. She has been selected from a strong applicant pool to explore the impact of legal representation in the tax court in both the US and the UK.

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The University of Aberdeen's School of Law has been recognised for its commitment to progressing gender equality with the renewal of its Athena SWAN Bronze Award. Advance HE’s Athena Swan Charter recognises commitment to the advancement of gender equality in academic, professional and support

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Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd is one of six leading figures in law, science and other fields who will be honoured at the University of Dundee’s summer graduation ceremonies this month. Lord Thomas was the lord chief justice of England and Wales between 2013 and 2017. He called to the bar in 1969 (Gr

And Finally

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A tourist threatened by a blowtorch-wielding "pirate" was unexpectedly rescued by two naked men. Nudists Pete Sferra and Lloyd Fishback were taking a clothes-free stroll through the Castro neighbourhood of San Francisco when they spotted the person they described as a "crazy kind of pirate guy".

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Greek authorities have begun issuing €350,000 fines in a major crackdown on unlicensed tourist beaches. Tourist companies have been accused of effectively taking over entire public beaches by installing and renting out deckchairs and parasols at an expensive rate.

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A prison in Brazil has swapped guard dogs for geese – which authorities say are cheaper and more effective. The São Pedro de Alcântara Penitentiary in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina recruited the nine "geese agents" late last year.

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Satanists are seeking to volunteer in Florida schools under a new law which paves the way for religious chaplains to serve as school counsellors. Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said at the time of its passage that the legislation would help to solve a staffing crisis in public schools.