News

Ampersand is delighted to confirm the date of our all day Summer Clinical Negligence conference this year will be 18th June 2018, to be held at the Raddison Blu Hotel in Edinburgh. Chaired by Douglas Ross QC the speakers and topics are:

Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP (WJM) is acting for Speymalt Whisky Distributors on their newly announced distillery at Craggan, near Grantown-on-Spey.  This will become the first new malt whisky distillery to be built in the Cairngorms National Park since its creation in 2003. The multi m

An organisation devoted to New York's legal professionals and law students who are Scots-born or simply interested in Scotland is hosting a revival event this week. After a period of dormancy the Scottish Bar Association of New York (SCOTBARNY) will host a revival event on June 7, from 7.00pm, at th

An international law student whose scholarship has not been honoured will be denied the opportunity to gain his LLB and will be sent back to his home country unless he can satisfy his university debts. Raphael Chinwuko was admitted to Durham University in 2016 and was offered a scholarship by a priv

The term ‘spouse’ within the meaning of the provisions of EU law on freedom of residence for EU citizens and their family members includes spouses of the same sex, the Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled. Although the member states have the freedom whether or not to authoris

Students at the University of Aberdeen have produced a video explaining the work of their legal society, which carries out pro-bono legal research and fundraising in promotion of the rule of law.

The Supreme Court of the United States has ruled in favour of a baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple in a case that echoes the Ashers Bakery case in Northern Ireland. However, the court's ruling focused on the way in which baker Jack Phillips was treated by the Colorado Civ

  Perthshire law firm Macnabs has raised almost £5,000 for charity this year after taking part in a will-writing campaign in which lawyers give up their time for free to write wills for local people in exchange for a donation.

A Spanish court has ruled that a Deliveroo rider is an employee rather than a self-employed contractor in the country's first "gig economy" ruling. The 27-page judgment from Valencia Labour Court No. 6 could come as a blow to gig economy companies like Deliveroo, which argue that riders are self-emp

A woman awaiting a £75,000 payout following a successful employment tribunal case against her former bosses who argued that the lack of a statutory power of arrestment to enable the tribunal to protect an award breached her rights under European law has had her claim dismissed. A judge in the

The head of the police watchdog has said the public would prefer it if the force did not investigate itself. Complaints about officers are dealt with internally by Police Scotland, though accusers can apply to the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) if they are dissatisfied.

The current system of benefit sanctions is failing to treat claimants with dignity and respect and causing severe hardship for some of the most vulnerable people in society, according to the Law Society of Scotland. In its response to the UK Parliament's Work and Pensions Committee inquiry into bene

Carole Ford makes the case for fixed fees and greater pricing transparency in the solicitors' profession. Would you be more likely to seek advice from a solicitor if you knew what it was going to cost? Would more information about pricing improve access to justice? Is it possible to provide a fixed

Changes in serious organised crime, its impact in communities and the potential for local services to prevent exploitation have been highlighted in new research. An 18-month study, which looked at serious organised crime (SOC) with deep roots in specific areas, as well as more ‘mobile’ f

The Scottish government is funding two projects aiming to explore the barriers to children’s views being heard in family law cases, led by researchers from Stirling and Glasgow universities. Guided by an expert group of young people, researchers will identify the challenges and explore the imp