News

Tech giants Meta and Google have been ordered to pay $6 million in damages to a woman who sued them over the mental health impact of her childhood social media addiction. The 20-year-old California woman, known as Kaley and identified in court by her initials KGM, testified that she began using YouT

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has laid its 2026-27 budget and operating plan before the Scottish Parliament, following a statutory consultation. SLCC chair, Jane Malcolm said: "The year ahead will be busy, challenging and exciting. With the first commencement order now in force, we

Many countries made significant progress in implementing judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights in 2025 but a number of important challenges remain, according to the latest annual report from the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. The report shows that the Com

Two nuns who violently abused and cruelly mistreated vulnerable young people at a children’s home in Glasgow have been sentenced. Marie O'Gorman, 79, and Mary McGuire, 68, targeted seven victims who were under their care at Nazareth House in the city’s Cardonald area between 1975 and 198

The composer of the iconic opening song to Disney's The Lion King is suing a comedian for $27 million for prodding fun at its lyrics. Circle of Life begins with the Zulu-language lyrics: "Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba Sithi uhm ingonyama."

A Lanarkshire company which manufactures collagen casings for use in sausage products has been fined £48,000 after admitting discharging a large quantity of industrial effluent into a burn. The incident occurred in July 2021 after a fat blockage in the waste drainage system of Moodiesburn-base

The King’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer has published a new code of practice, marking a significant step forward in protecting, recording and preserving Scotland’s archaeological heritage for the benefit of everyone.  The updated code, the first major revision since 2008,

New statistics have uncovered the extent of funding gaps in legal advice in Scotland.  The Access to Justice Foundation (ATJF) recently received £4 million in unclaimed cash from a class action settlement. It then launched a grants programme to distribute that cash to legal advice or

In part two of the Scottish Law Agents Society's (SLAS) response to the the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission's (SLCC) budget consultation, Darren Murdoch, SLAS president, raises concerns with the structure of the review committee system. See part one here. The review committee (RC) system in the

Neil Crockatt has joined Balfour and Manson's property team as a partner in Edinburgh. Mr Crockatt brings a wealth of conveyancing experience, having worked in the industry for over 30 years. He joins from Coulters, where he was partner and head of legal. 

A woman who slapped googly eyes on a divisive sculpture has been convicted of marking graffiti and ordered to pay compensation. Amelia Vanderhorst, 20, filmed herself making the humorous additions to the Cast in Blue sculpture in the southern Australian city of Mount Gambier while high on MDMA and d

Scotland’s legal sector continues to grow as 106 solicitors were formally welcomed to the profession in Edinburgh yesterday.

An expert group has published its final report following ten months of "independent oversight" into the implementation of fatal accident inquiry (FAI) recommendations relating to deaths in custody. The Ministerial Accountability Board (MAB) was established following Sheriff Collins' FAI into the dea

New legislation gives councils who choose to introduce a visitor levy greater choice in how they design and apply it to raise funds for local tourist services. The Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill, which has been approved by Holyrood, allows local authorities to set the levy as a single fixe

Crofters will "benefit from simplified processes" and face "less bureaucracy" following the passing of the Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill. The bill introduces a new process for fast-tracking the transfer of a croft between family members, strengthens the role of grazing committees sharing com