News

Pinsent Masons has appointed Glasgow-based Stacey Bairner as its first co-head of innovation and transformation, alongside Claire Francis, to accelerate the firm's existing focus on embedding innovation into service delivery. Head of restructuring, Ms Bairner, has been with the firm for 13 years and

LawCare, the mental health charity for the legal sector, has welcomed Mark Evans as its new chief executive. He joins as the charity approaches its 30th anniversary and looks to reach more people across the legal sector and help make working in law healthier.

Anderson Strathern Asset Management (ASAM) has made its first senior appointment under managing director Arlene Ewing's plans to grow the firm's team and services across Scotland. Jamie Daniels joins the team as senior investment director, bringing 20 years' experience managing investment portfolios

Changes to Friday morning calling times for summary cause and simple procedure business at Paisley Sheriff Court have been approved by temporary Sheriff Principal Mohan. From 8 January 2027, all Friday summary cause and simple procedure business will be assigned for 9.30 am, with the exception of pr

The Lady Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor have issued a Kings Bench Division judge with a reprimand for misconduct following delays in handing down judgments.

The trial of a terminally ill man who spent a bag of cash containing 22 million yen (£103,906) that he found lying in the street has ended after just one day with the accused admitting the charges.

The Canadian Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board has ruled that a federal correctional officer should not have been disciplined for giving the middle finger to two government buildings.

Former judge, Senator at the College of Justice and international rugby player William Lorn Kerr Cowie has passed away at the age of 100.

A lecture at the University of Edinburgh will examine how adoption law defines family relationships and how approaches to adoption vary across legal and cultural settings. The W.A. Wilson Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Professor Anne Röthel, director of the Max Planck Institute for Compa

Plans to make public procurement for lower-value contracts quicker, simpler and more proportionate have been announced. Subject to Holyrood's approval, the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 threshold for goods and services will be increased from £50,000 to £100,000 and the works thr

Kirsten Gallacher has been elected as the new president of the Scottish Young Lawyers Association (SYLA). Amina Amin will remain on the committee as past president. The other committee members who were elected at last week's AGM are:

The Criminal Justice Committee is carrying out an inquiry into crime and antisocial behaviour associated with e-bikes and e-scooters. The inquiry will focus on four key areas: causes, impact, enforcement and prevention. 

Shakespeare Martineau has promoted David Perdikou from associate to legal director. Based in the firm’s Edinburgh office, Mr Perdikou advises clients on a broad range of commercial property matters, including investment transactions, leasing, development projects and real estate finance.

Under-18s will no longer be able to buy nicotine or herbal smoking products in Scotland, under new legislation which has come into force. The ban to protect children and young people from the harms of nicotine addiction extends the protections in age-of-sale rules to all nicotine products, including

A victims’ fund financed by penalties imposed on convicted offenders is open for new applications. More than 10,000 people have been helped through the Victim Surcharge Fund since it was established in 2019, with almost £3.5 million paid out so far.