News

The Scottish government is calling on the public to help shape consolidated and modernised hate crime legislation as a new consultation opens today. ‘One Scotland: Hate Has No Home Here’ follows on from Lord Bracadale’s review of existing hate crime legislation in Scotland which in

The "unnecessary" UK law curbing the powers of the Scottish Parliament is undermining devolution and should now be repealed, Constitutional Relations Secretary Michael Russell has said. In an update to the House of Commons, Cabinet Office Minister, David Lidington, confirmed "significant progress" i

Allan Rooney, founding partner of Rooney Nimmo and president of the Scottish Bar Association of New York (ScotBarNY), reflects on the qualities needed to succeed in business. Be entrepreneurially minded – if you’re wired that way

Human rights has been one of the undoubted successes of devolution, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said on the 20th anniversary of the Scotland Act and Human Rights Act becoming law. The First Minister warned that Brexit must not be allowed to erode the rights and duties which derive from human righ

The Faculty of Advocates has become an unlikely common denominator for a transatlantic fellowship and an ecumenical chapel in Edinburgh. Two senior members of Faculty, Lisa Henderson QC, and Herbert Kerrigan QC, have taken up appointments with the British-American Project (BAP) and the Thistle Trust

Via WS Society: Fabulous WS Annual Dinner on Friday. Very many thanks to Lady Hale for her wonderful speech. Standing ovation for Caroline Docherty to close ten magnificent years as Deputy Keeper.

A High Court judge has called for the introduction of strict legal and ethical standards for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal sector. Mr Justice Robin Knowles made the call while giving evidence to the Law Society's technology and the law policy commission,&nb

A teenager who broke the speed limit on his electric scooter has been slapped with penalty points on his future driving license.A court in Cleveland, England gave the 15-year-old six penalty points "which will be added to his driver's license when he is able to have one", police said.According to Cl

A schoolboy who was sentenced to 12 months’ detention for slashing a fellow pupil with a knife during a fight in the school canteen has successfully appealed against a sheriff’s decision to impose a custodial sentence. The Criminal Appeal Court ruled that while the circumstances of the c

The UK government has been criticised for launching another appeal in the Article 50 legal case. The Court of Session has made a referral to the Court of Justice of the European Union on the question whether the UK Parliament can revoke Article 50 TEU with the permission of the EU's other member sta

A policy allowing the Home Office to request patient data from the NHS to target people for deportation has been abolished following a legal challenge. The agreement gave the Home Office access to confidential patient information to aid immigration enforcement.

Slater and Gordon has appointed Hayley Johnson as a senior associate to its Edinburgh employment team. Ms Johnson has over a decade of employment and public policy experience garnered throughout her time with Eversheds, Brodies, the Scottish Parliament and, most recently, Th

Macdonald Henderson has appointed Stacy Campbell as commercial property director. Ms Campbell joins the firm from Lindsays, where she held a similar role.

Human rights commissions on both sides of the Irish border have called for a new UK-Ireland treaty to protect the smooth operation of the Common Travel Area (CTA) after Brexit. The joint committee of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has

Aberdeen University PhD candidate David Lorimer has written an article analysing the probabilities of success for criminal cases brought to civil court. It briefly examines potentially influential factors such as corroboration and criminal intent, and the implications of cases like Coxen and Goodwil