News

Robert Holland A ruling that people providing team foster care are classed as council employees is "a significant decision reflecting the valuable service that foster carers deliver", according to a Scots lawyer involved in the case.

Lord Cullen An oil industry resource aiming to pull together decades of knowledge in an attempt to avoid another Piper Alpha disaster has been welcomed by Lord Cullen, the judge who conducted the inquiry into the tragedy.

Law Society of Scotland charity the Lawscot Foundation is to provide support for eight young people from less advantaged backgrounds who are starting Scots law degrees this autumn. The eight school pupils, who have all had offers to study law at university, are the first to be offered financial and

Hefty fines are a small price to pay for data protection that will benefit business and consumers, writes Graham Millar. Businesses that do not deal in data are a rare and dying breed.

Nicola Irvine Tackling the poor legal aid rates is a priority for the new Dean of the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow.

Hamish Lean Hamish Lean details a case in which it was held that the Scottish ministers' rule formalism regarding a subsidy scheme was unjustified.

Twice as many barristers were disbarred last year compared to the previous year, the bar’s regulator has reported.In 2016-17, 19 barristers were sent packing, compared to seven in the year before, the Bar Standards Board’s (BSB) annual report states. However, the number of suspensions declined f

Esme Macfarlane (left) and Joanne Ockrim

Lynda Towers Public law expert Lynda Towers surveys the latest bill on the path to Brexit.

Lady Dorrian The Scottish Sentencing Council is launching a public consultation on its first draft guideline, which sets out the principles and purposes of sentencing for all offences.

Graeme MacLeod takes a look at the Apologies (Scotland) Act.

The UK government has launched a consultation on how a new anti-money laundering supervisory body should operate and be funded. Hosted by the Financial Conduct Authority, the UK government has created a new Office for Professional Body AML Supervision (OPBAS) to improve co-ordination and consistency

Scientists have called on the UK government to introduce laws that would stop women being required to wear high heels at work. Research from Aberdeen University found that the shoes increase the risk of developing musculoskeletal conditions and injury.

Derek Mackay It is unacceptable that police and fire services in Scotland remain the only territorial forces in the UK unable to reclaim the VAT they incur on the purchase of goods and services, Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said today.