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A prison in Brazil has swapped guard dogs for geese – which authorities say are cheaper and more effective. The São Pedro de Alcântara Penitentiary in Brazil's southern state of Santa Catarina recruited the nine "geese agents" late last year.

Criminal barristers across Ireland have withdrawn their services in a major escalation of The Bar of Ireland's campaign for an increase in fees paid to counsel. Dozens of barristers and some solicitor colleagues defied the wind and rain to gather in front of the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin

Human rights campaigners have urged Sir Keir Starmer to repeal the previous government's controversial Northern Ireland legacy law as soon as possible. Labour's manifesto included a commitment to “repeal and replace” the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, whi

A consultation is seeking views on reducing trauma for bereaved families of child homicide victims caused by the publicity arising from such cases. Justice Secretary Angela Constance published the consultation after hearing from bereaved families about the impact of ongoing news and social media cov

Satanists are seeking to volunteer in Florida schools under a new law which paves the way for religious chaplains to serve as school counsellors. Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said at the time of its passage that the legislation would help to solve a staffing crisis in public schools.

Views on the Scottish Law Commission's report on the review of contract law are being sought. The commission reported in March 2018 on a review of contract law dealing with the topics of formation, interpretation, remedies for breach and penalty clauses.

Accused persons’ journey times in Scotland’s criminal justice system have decreased over the last year, according to new statistics from Scotland’s chief statistician. Median journey times (date of offence to date of verdict) in 2023-24 were around two years and 10 months in High c

Richard Hermer KC, a barrister at Matrix Chambers and deputy High Court judge, has been appointed as the new attorney general of England and Wales. Born and raised in Wales, he studied politics and modern history at the University of Manchester before being called to the bar in 1993. Following pupil

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry into the death of 59-year-old Alexander Salmond. Mr Salmond, an inmate within HMP Glenochil, near Alloa, died on 26 October 2022 after a gradual deterioration in his health.

The archive of the Scottish Law Agents Society (SLAS) is now in the care of the Signet Library, where it will be made accessible for study and scholarship.

Police were called to a German pub after a foreign customer inadvertently violated local custom by making 16 separate card transactions over the course of an evening. The 21-year-old Latvian customer ordered and drank 16 beers, paying for each one by card payment – which is not standard practi

Family law expert Shona Smith will be joining Blackadders' team in Edinburgh later this month. She brings extensive experience to the firm and has been accredited as a specialist in family law by the Law Society of Scotland since 1999.

Holmes Mackillop has announced appointments within the corporate and wills, estates and future planning teams. Rachel Loose completed a traineeship at Holmes Mackillop focused on corporate transactional work; Sophie Woodside also completed her traineeship at the firm, with a particular focus on will

Scotland's reconviction rate was 26.9 per cent in 2020-21 – a 2.6 percentage point increase from 24.3 per cent in 2019-20. The average number of reconvictions per offender, a measure of how often offenders are reconvicted, increased by eight per cent in the same period from 0.41 to 0.44.

The Faculty of Advocates has launched a new award to recognise human rights lawyers and defenders who uphold human rights and the rule of law worldwide. The 2023 Rule of Law Index revealed that more than six billion people live in countries where the rule of law weakened between 2022 and 2023. Funda