News

The Commons' Scottish Affairs Committee has recommended that UK trade deals should be contingent on the close involvement of the Scottish government, to ensure that trade agreements work for the whole of the UK. In a new report, it outlines mechanisms for involving the devolved administrations in tr

Airport customs officials have foiled an attempt to smuggle a looted Babylonian treasure dating from the second millennium BCE. The antiquity, believed to be worth at least hundreds of thousands of pounds, was identified in a customs declaration as a "carved stone for home decoration" worth just "30

A serial offender who was sentenced to an order for lifelong restriction (OLR) following his fourth High Court appearance has had an appeal against a judge’s decision to impose the OLR rejected. John McKinlay, 29, who has convictions for rape and domestic abuse and assaulting fellow prison inm

Scottish solicitors say the Law Society of Scotland should continue to regulate solicitors in Scotland, according to new research. Ninety-three per cent of respondents agree that the Law Society should continue to be responsible for representation, support and regulation of solicitors in Scotland, a

Paul Brown of the Legal Services Agency comments on the operation of the revised criminal injuries regime. The UK government has recently laid before Parliament major amendments to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has started work to replace the roof and upgrade the façade of Peterhead Sheriff and Justice of the Peace Court.

The sentencing of prominent Iranian human rights lawyer and women’s rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh to 33 years in prison and 148 lashes in a new case against her has been described by Amnesty International as an outrageous injustice. The sentence, reported on her husband Reza Khanda

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has fined Carphone Warehouse more than £21.1 million for failings that led to the mis-selling of “Geek Squad”, a mobile phone insurance and technical support product. This follows an FCA investigation which stemmed from whistleblowing repo

Senior Irish lawyers will travel to Washington D.C. this week to launch a Government-backed initiative to promote Ireland as an international legal centre after Brexit. The Law Society of Ireland's director-general Ken Murphy and president Patrick Dorgan are travelling to the US today and will take

Harper Macleod LLP has supported Shetland business Laurence Odie Knitwear Ltd in the company’s recent move to employee ownership.

Crown prosecutors have been given a 10 per cent salary boost following a decade of wage freezes. The First Division Association, which represents senior civil servants, negotiated with the UK government for the increase.

A Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) report has found that police were justified in their use of a baton launcher and a Taser device when they were arresting an armed man. Officers from Police Scotland were called to the incident on the morning of Saturday 2 June 2018 in Troon, w

Lawyers Without Borders Student Division at Aberdeen University hosted its fifth annual human rights conference on Monday. The topic was "Refugee Protection: Are refugees afforded sufficient protection under human rights law?" The conference was opened by student president Max Wiktorsson followed by

If you’re a Diploma or LLB student in your final or penultimate year, the Law Society of Scotland is offering you the chance to win three weeks’ paid work experience in the Scottish Parliament’s Legal Services team as well as a £500 cash prize. To enter, the society asks entr

The governor of California has announced an immediate moratorium on the use of the death. Governor Gavin Newsom, who was sworn in at the start of the year, will today sign an executive order granting a reprieve to prisoners on death row and closing down the execution chamber at San Quentin State Pri