News

A former Navy officer who was jailed after being convicted of brandishing a knife and punching a 17-year-old boy which resulted in his victim having to undergo extensive dental treatment has successfully appealed against his sentence. The Criminal Appeal Court quashed the custodial sentence imposed

David Arnott This week's SLN Spotlight falls on Brodies' partner David Arnott. He has 25 years’ experience resolving construction, infrastructure and engineering disputes and is ranked a band 1 construction lawyer in Chambers & Partners.

In today’s Grand Chamber judgment in the case of J.K. and Others v. Sweden the European Court of Human Rights held, by ten votes to seven, that there would be: a violation of article 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights if the ord

The Scottish government has issued a consultation on removing the ability of arbitrating parties to contract out of using the new arbitration law provided for by the Arbitration (Scotland) Act 2010. This consultation is relevant to anyone who is either involved or interested in arbitration as provid

Cori Crider The UK government’s refusal to answer questions about political interference in a decision not to bring charges over British complicity in renditions has been challenged by international human rights group Reprieve.

Mike Dailly Govan Law Centre (GLC) has secured permission for a petition for judicial review to proceed which challenges a decision of a social work complaints review committee that was subsequently ratified by a local authority.

James Wolffe The Lord Advocate has affirmed his predecessor’s view that it would be “inconceivable” not to hold an inquiry into the M9 crash last July which resulted in the deaths of two people.

Colin McConnell A privately-run prison is due to rack up a bill of £1 billion to the taxpayer, 12 times its building costs.

Liz Truss The Justice Secretary Liz Truss is abandoning her predecessor's plans to roll out more problem-solving courts on the basis they would not be seen as tough on offenders, The Guardian reports.

The sister of a man with severe learning difficulties has failed in an appeal against a sheriff’s decision to appoint a local authority social worker as welfare guardian to her brother. The woman complained that the mental health officer who prepared a report which favoured the council’s applica

A group of four councils who broke away from local authority representative body Cosla has threatened to take the Scottish government to court if ministers continue to freeze them out of funding talks. At the moment Holyrood will only negotiate with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosl

Lord Wallace of Tankerness Lord Wallace of Tankerness has suggested Holyrood may need more MSPs with the new powers transferred from Westminster following Lord Smith’s review.

Liz Truss Plans to scrap the Human Rights Act and replace it with a "British Bill of Rights" are to go ahead according to Justice Secretary Liz Truss.

A man has pleaded guilty at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for the 2012 destruction of religious monuments in Mali, marking the first time ever a defendant accused of war crimes has entered a guilty plea. Islamist Ahmad al-Mahdi pleaded guilty, telling judges he did so with deep regre

Mary Sharpe A charity founded by an advocate has published a paper on the effects of compulsive internet pornography use.