News

Developing a contingency plan for HMP Barlinnie in the event that it fails must be of the highest priority for the Scottish Prison Service, Holyrood’s Public Audit Committee has said. Given the condition of Scotland’s prisons in general, the Scottish government and the SPS must

Morton Fraser has been reappointed under the Scottish government’s Legal Services Framework to provide general property legal services for the next two years, with the option to extend the contract for a further two. The exclusive contract will see Morton Fraser provide a diverse range of lega

A trial has been delayed on the advice of medical experts after it emerged that two witnesses had recently returned from Thailand, The Courier reports. Forfar man Malcolm Kane, 32, had been present at Forfar Sheriff Court for his breach of the peace trial when the case was adjourned.

Just Employment Law has welcomed Fiona Gorry to its Glasgow team. Ms Gorry is an experienced employment solicitor having spent her entire career to date in the employment law and joins the firm as a senior solicitor.

Legal technology expert Steve Dalgleish has been awarded Accredited Legal Technologist status by the Law Society of Scotland. Mr Dalgleish, head of technology at Shepherd and Wedderburn and co-head of the firm’s smarter working unit, is the first non-solicitor to receive the accreditation in r

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been warned that plans to extend jail terms for terrorists could make them more dangerous upon release, The Times reports. Jonathan Hall QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said inmates could be exposed to “worse influences” in prison t

Burges Salmon’s corporate finance team has advised the majority shareholders of market-leading UK timber producer BSW Timber on its sale to private equity firm Endless. With its headquarters located in Earlston, BSW is the UK’s largest integrated forestry and sawmilling business, with ei

Pinsent Masons has been crowned Scottish 'Diversity Champion' for a second year by equality campaign charity Stonewall. Construction sector specialist and senior associate Craig Macphee collected the award on behalf of colleagues at a celebration dinner at the Virgin Money Banking Hall in Glasgow la

Huda al-Sarari has been named as the 2020 winner of the Martin Ennals Award for her work exposing a network of secret prisons in Yemen. The award recognises the work of outstanding human rights defenders. Since 2015, UAE-backed Yemeni security forces have carried out thousands of human rights violat

A collection of ancient marble statues controversially held by the British Museum may be given back to Greece as part of a Brexit trade deal. The Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles, have been in Britain for over 200 years despite repeated attempts to repatriate them to Greece.

When Pinsent Masons was last night crowned Stonewall Scotland’s Workplace Diversity Champion for the second year running, it was in no small part down to the work done by senior associate Craig Macphee. Indeed, with the construction sector specialist promoting the firm’s LGBT inclusion w

The Upper Tribunal for Scotland refused an appeal against a decision of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber), which had rejected the tenant’s claim after finding that he requested the arrangement.  ‘Pre-payment agreement’

Issues have been identified by the Faculty of Advocates in a planned new system to allow complainers in sexual offence cases to refer themselves for forensic examination. The Forensic Medical Services (Victims of Sexual Offences) (Scotland) Bill transfers responsibility for examination and rete

A photographer who said his reputation has been damaged in a fight over a nude photoshoot at a castle in Aberdeenshire has failed in an attempt to take the case to the Supreme Court. Howard Kennedy had wanted to sue the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) for up to £50,000 after claiming stateme

No low-skilled workers will be awarded visas from January 2021 under the UK's proposed post-Brexit immigration system, unveiled today by Home Secretary Priti Patel. The points-based system will see applicants assigned points based on specific skills, qualifications, salaries or professions, and visa