News

Holyrood cannot declare Scotland independent, according to the House of Lords Library, while a second referendum is unlikely to occur before the 2021 elections. In a briefing paper on the Section 30 Order, which would see powers to authorise a referendum transferred to Scotland, the House of Lords L

The Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) was introduced on April 1 2015 to replace Stamp Duty Land Tax in Scotland. It affects commercial leases in Scotland, which include agricultural tenancies, writes Hamish Lean (pictured). Any agricultural lease granted on or after April 1 2015 will be subj

An environmentalist seeking judicial review of the Home Office’s decision not to extend an inquiry into undercover policing to Scotland is close to reaching her fundraising target. Tilly Gifford, 32, started a crowdfunding effort this month after being refused legal aid to have the decision not to

Dr Stuart Waiton Dr Stuart Waiton, a senior lecturer in criminology at Abertay University, gives his thoughts on the Goodwillie case.

Very Rev Professor Iain Torrance The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland has been asked to authorise its Legal Questions Committee to undertake a further study on the legal implications of conducting same-sex marriages.

Marc van Grieken Shepherd and Wedderburn is asking delegates at this year’s All-Energy conference in Glasgow to support Parkinson’s research through a fundraising initiative taking place at the event.

A mother-of-one who was seeking a court order to relocate from Scotland to England with her two-year-old son against the wishes of the child’s father has had her application refused. A judge in the Court of Session ruled that a residence order providing that the child reside with the mother was �

DWF LLP has failed in a plea to have a £1 million claim against it dismissed in a commercial action brought by the landlord of its former Glasgow offices. The UK law firm, which entered the Scottish legal sector in 2012 via its merger with Biggart Baillie, is being sued by commercial property landl

The Law Society of Scotland is now accepting nominations for Council members to represent solicitors in the following areas:

Bruce Craig The anchor handling vessel Bourbon Dolphin capsized off the coast of Shetland 10 years ago this week (12 April 2007) while anchoring a semi-submersible drilling rig which had been contracted to drill three test wells in the Rosebank Field. Eight of the 15 people on board died, including

Austin Lafferty The west central Scotland property market is showing little impact from recent political changes, including the triggering of Article 50 and the prospect of a second Scottish referendum, according to the latest analysis from GSPC (Glasgow Solicitors Property Centre).

The US state of Arkansas must halt the execution of eight death row prisoners, seven of whom are due to be killed in an 11-day period this month, Amnesty International said today, highlighting legal concerns and the fact that two of the men facing death have serious mental disabilities. Arkansas has

Russian nationals who had either been taken hostage and/or injured during the Beslan massacre and their families as well as those of the dead suffered violations of their article 2 rights. The case concerned the September 2004 terrorist attack on a school in Beslan, North Ossetia (Russia). For over

A prisoner subject to an order for lifelong restriction (OLR) who claimed his human rights had been breached because he had not been given a “reasonable opportunity” to demonstrate that his continued imprisonment was “no longer necessary for the protection of the public” has had his claim fo

Gail Walshe