News

Defence solicitors have begun their first week of industrial action over domestic abuse cases after a collapse in talks with the Scottish government over reform to legal aid. They will also decline to act where an accused has no solicitor and cannot represent themselves – and will not take par

The Lord President, Lord Carloway has written to His Majesty The King to inform him of his intention to retire in early 2025. He has also written to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and First Minister John Swinney to notify them of his decision. Lord Carloway was appointed as lord president of the Cou

In 1787 Robert Burns met the woman who may have been the great love of his life. Her name was Agnes Maclehose and she was already married, though separated, ensuring that this liaison would be scandalous in all respects.

A piece of land can be a ‘land-locked’ enclave, so as to have a right of way over a neighbour’s property on the basis of necessity, despite the enclave being on the coast and adjoining the foreshore and the sea. Such public rights as there may be over the foreshore and the sea do n

Govan Law Centre (GLC) has accepted instructions and raised proceedings for judicial review in the Court of Session on behalf of a client of the Renfrewshire Head Injury Service (RHIS). In February 2024, Renfrewshire Council (RC) and the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (Renfrewshire

CMS is to host an event later this month to support Scotland’s food and drink sector to develop and safeguard their brand’s intellectual property (IP). Led by CMS partner and IP specialist Neeraj Thomas and fellow IP specialist Cara McGlynn, the free-to-attend seminar will be of interest

Blackadders LLP is to move to a new Dundee office in the heart of the city centre. The law firm and wealth management firm will move to DC Thomson’s Meadowside building, leasing the first floor and a section of the ground floor from the content, technology and investments business. Blackadders

New data from researchers at the University of Birmingham raises questions about whether the public in England and Wales see juries as fair and just, particularly to racial minorities. Experts surveyed 1,000 people and found that most (61 per cent) believe that more diverse juries are fairer, yet ju

A plane was turned back halfway through a three-and-a-half hour flight after a male passenger ran naked down the aisle. The Virgin Australia flight was forced to return to Perth just an hour-and-a-half into its journey to Melbourne because of what the airline described as a "disruptive passenger", N

A law student who wrote her dissertation on intellectual property rights and the music of Taylor Swift has been profiled by the BBC. Glasgow University student Regan Caie wrote her LLB dissertation on Ms Swift's re-recorded albums and copyright law.

Karen MacGregor is to join Middleton Ross as a senior associate from 1 July 2024. Ms MacGregor has been a sole practitioner at Macmillan & Co in Alness for 20 years and her practice will close on 30 June 2024. She has decades of experience and will focus on residential conveyancing, wills and po

Holmes Mackillop's Ralph Riddiough, supported by Finlay Swan and Rachel Loose, led the firm's team in the seven-figure sale of an 80 per cent stake in Waterfront Fluid Controls to listed Indian group Jash Engineering Limited, working alongside Richard Gibson and Ellis Kerton of Armstrong Watson.

Johnston Carmichael has strengthened its governance, risk and compliance function with a senior promotion and new hire. Keith Hamilton, who joined the firm in January 2023 as legal counsel, has been promoted to general counsel. He heads up a team of three, including the firm’s recently appoint

Jacqueline Moore has been promoted to partner at Thorntons. Ms Moore joined the Thorntons employment and immigration team in February 2023 and has quickly made her mark on the firm, driving growth of the specialist team, and positively impacting individual and business clients.

Gilson Gray has announced its annual promotions. Rob McGregor has become head of estate agency at Gilson Gray’s burgeoning property division, while Callum Sutherland now leads new business and home-buying at the firm’s residential conveyancing arm.