News

With less than two months to respond to Graham Simpson MSP’s Proposed New-Build Homes (Buyer Protection) (Scotland) Bill, Harry C. Smith shares his views. There have been a number of attempts down the years to resolve any perceived imbalance in power between the housebuilder and the home buyin

A video link system could be a huge boon to Aberdeen Sheriff Court, saving it money and time, Scotland's chief inspector of prisons has said. Wendy Sinclair-Gieben thinks such a system would improve safety at the court and reduce the costs and time associated with holding trials.

Judges in the Netherlands have refused to extradite a suspected drugs smuggler to the UK over concerns that conditions at HMP Liverpool are "inhuman and degrading", the Liverpool Echo reports. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said: "Since providing reassurances the court has postponed its decision."

Aberdein Considine has launched a free debt advice service as part of an ongoing programme of support for consumers. The firm currently works with a number of UK lenders in relation to different types of debt recovery and has developed a range of models to assist borrowers in managing debt, in parti

The Faculty of Advocates has applauded a major new service announced by the charity, LawCare, on the first day of Mental Health Awareness Week (13-19 May). LawCare promotes good mental health and wellbeing in the legal community in the UK and Ireland.It operates a free confidential helpline, and wil

Leading experts in the field of artificial intelligence are heading to Edinburgh for an international conference.

How important is DNA in court proceedings? While often cited in fiction and on screen, how reliable is an individual’s genetic code in securing a conviction or proving a person’s innocence? These are the questions that will be considered at the University of Dundee’s third and fina

The Edinburgh Tax Network, in conjunction with Terra Firma Chambers, will present an EIS Update on Thursday 30th May 2019 at the Mackenzie Building, Old Assembly Close, Edinburgh. The speaker will be Nicola Williams of Chiene + Tait. Nicola is a senior manager in the Entrepreneurial Tax team and hea

The standard of proof applied by inquests when deciding if someone has committed suicide or not has been lowered by appeal judges, The Guardian reports. Coroners and juries previously applied the criminal standard to the question of whether someone had committed suicide but three appeal court judges

A law professor representing Harvey Weinstein in his upcoming rape and sexual assault trial has been dropped from his position as a faculty dean at Harvard Law School. Professor Ronald S. Sullivan Jr and his wife, fellow law lecturer Stephanie Robinson, will no longer be faculty deans of Winthrop Ho

A brewery is being sued by famous rock band Guns N' Roses over its fruit beer called "Guns N' Rosé". The band, which had a slew of major hits in the late '80s and early '90s, is seeking damages from Oskar Blues Brewery in Colorado for harm to its "trademarks, trade name, business reputation a

A man found guilty of attempted rape who failed to lodge an appeal within the statutory time limits has had an application for an extension of time to challenge his conviction rejected. The Appeal Court of the High Court of Justiciary refused the application after noting that the applicant

Legislation to ensure more child witnesses are able to pre-record evidence ahead of jury trials has been passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament. The Vulnerable Witnesses (Criminal Evidence) (Scotland) Bill aims to minimise distress and improve the quality of evidence given as it will be recor

There will be missing environmental governance mechanisms as a result of the UK leaving the EU, according to the Law Society of Scotland. Without the governance functions of the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Environment Agency, individuals may lose

Alexander Green has been appointed President of the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, General Regulatory Chamber. Mr Green, a graduate of St Andrews and Aberdeen universities, qualified as a solicitor in England & Wales in 1993 and in Scotland in 1995.