News

The judiciary in Zimbabwe has spent £120,000 on new powdered wigs in a move that has drawn criticism. The African country is in the midst of economic crisis, struggling with its highest inflation rate since 2008 and widespread fuel and medicine shortages.

Members of the legal profession are invited to give their views on proposed changes to the accounts rules in advance of the Law Society of Scotland's annual general meeting on May 30. The society’s Client Protection Subcommittee has put forward proposals to introduce two rules preventing

The Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) has proposed legislative amendments to strengthen the organisation’s ability to carry out its key functions: to investigate serious incidents involving the police and to review how the police handle complaints made about them. In its s

A new Clerk of the Faculty of Advocates, Richard Pugh, has been elected in a seven-way contest.

The Scottish prison population fell by 4.1 per cent between 2016 and 2018 while the overall imprisonment rate in Europe fell by nearly seven per cent, new figures reveal. The Council of Europe's Annual Penal Statistics for 2018 (SPACE), published yesterday, reveals that a downwards trend in European

Court forms used to seek the views of children in family and civil partnership actions are to be replaced with revamped child-friendly versions. The Family Law Committee of the Scottish Civil Justice Council has carried out work on an instrument that will replace the current court form.

DWF has advised on the high profile management buyout (MBO) by Maven Capital Partners of Scottish business, CMS Window System (CMS), a manufacturer of premium windows and doors. This is the fourth investment made by Maven’s UK Regional Buyout Fund. Established in 2006, CMS specialises in desig

Tuesday, 30 April 2019 Mackenzie Building, High St, Edinburgh

A woman has been convicted of fraud in what is believed to be the first private prosecution in the UK by an insurance company against a so-called "slip-and-trip" fraudster. Former law student Farida Ashraf, 41, was given a 21-month suspended sentence in Bradford Crown Court yesterday after pretendin

Lawyers for US citizen Bilal Abdul Kareem have filed their response to the government in a case that will establish whether the US can assassinate its own citizens, without telling them why or offering them their constitutional right to due process. Mr Kareem alleges that he was nearly killed by US

Two operettas by author Alexander McCall Smith and his musical collaborator Tom Cunningham are to be presented at St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church in Edinburgh on Sunday 14 April for an evening of splendid music and drama in aid of a very good cause. The double-bill will bring to

A man who convinced his colleagues he was a barrister so he could pursue his “obsession” with a career in law has been jailed. Scott Willey, 27, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud by false representation, one count of making/supplying an article for the use of fraud, one count of fa

A senior citizens' lunch went awry after unsuspecting elderly guests were fed cannabis-infused brownies. Police were called to the scene after guests reported feeling dizzy and disoriented, and some were experiencing nausea and vomiting.

There was a 10 per cent increase in the number of civil cases begun across the Court of Session and sheriff courts in 2017-18, new figures show. The latest civil justice statistics, published by Scotland’s chief statistician today, show that 81,200 civil law cases were initiated across the Cou

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have called for action to improve mental health in prisons, following the publication of the Deaths in Custody report by Aamer Anwar and the family of Katie Allan, a young woman who tragically committed suicide in prison. The report highlights, among other things, that