A fresh bid to split the dual role of the lord advocate will be launched in Westminster today after Scotland's justice secretary urged caution around changing a system she said has "considerable strengths". John Cooper, the Conservative MP for Dumfries and Galloway, will today introduce a bill under
Appointments
See all articlesNewLaw Scotland LLP has become part of Jones Whyte, bringing around 3,000 clients and more than 30 solicitors, paralegals and support staff. Paula McMillan and Laura McGee join Jones Whyte as partners as part of the deal, which will enhance the firm's practice in the areas of clinical negligence, pe
Holmes Mackillop Solicitors has appointed John Di Paola, former legal counsel – vice president at Barclays, to its litigation team. A graduate of the Universities of Cambridge and Glasgow, Mr Di Paola brings over a decade of dispute resolution experience to the firm’s litigation team, he
Debbie McIlwraith Cameron joined Lindsays this week, strengthening the specialist support provided to charities and voluntary organisations of all kinds and sizes across Scotland. Based in Lindsays’ Edinburgh offices, she was previously senior associate with Turcan Connell, where she had been
Murgitroyd has today announced the appointment of Barry Moore as managing director of its patent practice. Mr Moore joined Murgitroyd in 2021 following the acquisition of Hanna Moore & Curley, the firm he co-founded and helped build into a respected patents practice. A chartered physicist, Europ
Brodies LLP has added to its corporate crime practice with the appointment of new partner Neil Hay. Mr Hay is recognised for his expertise in criminal law and financial crime where he provides strategic legal advice and specialist court representation for individuals, companies and organisations und
Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP (WJM) has expanded with a new office in Aberdeen. The firm – which has offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Dunblane and Galashiels – has opened its north east base on Marischal Square in the heart of the city centre.
Universities
See all articlesThe Aberdeen University Centre for Energy Law (AUCEL) held a seminar on contemporary developments in International Energy Law last month.
Work by Edinburgh Law School postdoctoral research fellow Dr Jacob Fredrickson has helped inform a theatrical production staging at the historic Old Bailey this March. Justice? Trial and Error will transform Court No 1 in the Old Bailey into a live performance space from 15–19 March 2026, draw
Dundee University has won the Lord Jones Intervarsity Mooting Competition on the occasion of its 10th anniversary. Hosted by the University of Dundee Mooting Society at Dundee Law School, the competition follows the format of the Inner Temple Inter-Varsity Moot in London.
GCU Law academics Dr Andrew Tickell and Seonaid Stevenson-McCabe have been nominated for a research prize for leading a successful campaign to secure lifelong anonymity for victims of sexual offences in Scotland. The Glasgow Caledonian University lecturers have been shortlisted for the Socio-Legal S
The Committee of Heads of Scottish Law Schools responds to an article in Scottish Legal News last year on the use of AI in their institutions. In early December 2025, Corsino San Miguel wrote an article for Scottish Legal News in which, drawing on selected examples from law firms and certain law sch
Legal Aid
See all articlesSolicitors who provide legal aid will receive a 13 per cent increase in fees from September this year. The fees hike is part of a wider package of support including also funding for up to 40 legal aid traineeship places and digital support to help firms purchase devices to assist trainees in their w
The Law Society of Scotland is seeking urgent clarification from the Scottish government on why legal aid has again been ignored in the final budget before this year’s Holyrood election. Finance Secretary Shona Robinson announced the 2026-27 budget in the Scottish Parliament on 13 January 2026
The Scottish government is pausing it’s proposed changes to legal aid for adults with legal incapacity (AWI) cases, following an intervention by Govan Law Centre. Last month, GLC wrote to the Holyrood's Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee to recommend rejection of a draft Scottish statut
The Law Society of Scotland has warned that proposed changes to legal aid fees for cases related to adults with incapacity (AWI) would further exacerbate the shortage of solicitors for such work. The warning is contained in a submission by the Law Society on potential changes to legal aid regulation
Laura Simpson and Christine McKellar of Govan Law Centre raise the alarm over proposed changes to legal aid for adults with incapacity in Scotland. It is no secret that Scotland’s legal aid system is in urgent need of reform. With the increase in legal aid deserts caused by an ever-diminishing
And Finally
See all articlesA judge has ruled against a couple who tried to reclaim a small area of land by planting a garden gnome on it. The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) ruled last week on a years-long dispute between neighbours in Surrey.
Antisocial air passengers who play music from their smartphones out loud now face being banned from a world-leading airline. United Airlines, by some rankings the world's biggest airline, has revised its contract of carriage to require passengers to use headphones when listening to a device, CBS New
A man has been arrested for drug driving in the middle of his driving test. Merseyside Police in England said officers pulled over the 26-year-old after spotting a defective brake light.
A driver licensing agency has apologised after its AI-powered Spanish language helpline was actually English with a Hispanic accent. Motorists in the US state of Washington shared videos on TikTok showing how, after inviting callers to press 2 for assistance in Spanish, the helpline simply switched
A camel beauty contest in Oman has become the latest to be rocked by a plastic surgery scandal. Organisers of the 2026 Camel Beauty Show Festival in Al Musannah in February say they disqualified a total of 20 camels who received cosmetic enhancements including lip fillers and Botox injections.










