News

The latest statistics from the UK House Price Index (HPI) show that the average price of a property in Scotland in February 2019 was £145,762 – a decrease of 0.2 per cent on February in the previous year. This is the first annual decrease in the average price of a property in Scotland si

Controversial UK government plans to bring in the world's first age-verification system for online pornography are set to come into force in July. The commencement of the relevant provisions of the Digital Economy Act 2017 has been repeatedly delayed, having originally been set for April 2018 and la

The UK's competition regulator has shied away from meaningful change of the accountancy industry after ignoring recommendations for a major shake-up in a move critics have described as a missed “golden opportunity”. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) stopped short of callin

Police Scotland must ensure that all police officers receive appropriate training and guidance in assessing missing person reports, the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) has said. The watchdog has published a report which concludes that there was a delay in police going to the f

An English solicitor who said her professional reputation had been destroyed by a Facebook post has lost her £900,000 libel claim. The High Court in London ruled that lawyers for Dr Katherine Alexander-Theodotou, of Highgate Hill Solicitors, had not established that the post had caused "seriou

An Orthodox priest in Russia has been relocated to a remote village in a bizarre act of punishment after his wife won a beauty pageant. Sergei Zotov was dismissed from his post and sent to a village of just 4,000 people around 65 kilometres away.

Two asylum seekers who claimed that it was “unlawful” for their housing provider to evict them by changing the locks to their homes without first obtaining a court order for their removal have had their legal challenges dismissed. In a test case, a judge in the Court of Session dismissed

Turcan Connell has announced the appointment of Gillian Crandles as its new managing partner. One of the country’s leading divorce lawyers, Ms Crandles is only the second person to occupy this role in the firm’s 22-year history and will combine it with her current position as head of div

Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP has announced the appointment of two new partners at its Inverness office. Paul Adams and JP Campbell, who both joined the team in 2018 as associates, have been promoted to partners at the law firm's Highland branch.

Landmark legislation which provided a legal basis for real burdens following the abolition of feudal tenure is too difficult to apply in practice and should be reformed, the Scottish Law Commission has said. The legal reform body has published a new report recommending the replacement of section 53

Pinsent Masons has announced the appointment of Claire Scott as legal director in the international law firm's Aberdeen office. Ms Scott is widely respected in the north east and has years of experience advising international clients in the oil and gas, shipping and aviation industries.

Glasgow-based Mitchells Roberton has promoted Laura Burns to associate in the solicitor firm's private client department. Ms Burns, a graduate of Strathclyde University, joined Mitchells Roberton in January 2018.

Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive of the Scottish Arbitration Centre, has been appointed to the Council of the International Bar Association Section on Public and Professional Interest (IBA SPPI). The IBA is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, with a membership of 80,000

William Grant & Sons, the owners of Glenfiddich, the world’s biggest-selling single malt whisky, has lost a legal battle with an Indian company they accused of copying their product. The whisky producer, which was founded 132 years ago and now has its headquarters at Strathclyde Business P

The Tumbling Lassie Seminar returns this year to consider two more very important aspects of tackling the injustices of human trafficking and exploitation in Scotland and beyond. The tumbling lassie was forced to give her labour and liberty to an exploitative master – and those ugly situations