News

EHRC Scotland will be contacting Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board to seek assurances that they are satisfying their legal obligations in respect of disabled patients. This follows a ruling from the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman that a patient at Crosshouse Hospital in Ayrshire was not provided with

The latest edition of the Scottish Civil Justice Council's newsletter, Update, is now available. It includes links to the SCJC Annual Report and introduces five new members, as well as providing the usual information on recent rules and on-going committee work.

People serving an indeterminate sentence for public protection (IPP) have one of the highest rates of self-harm in the prison system according to a new report published today by the Prison Reform Trust. Figures show that for every 1,000 people serving an IPP there were 550 incidents of self-harm. Th

A company and individual who accepted the transfer of four properties – challenged by joint administrators of the transferor companies as gratuitous alienations – have had their appeal to the Supreme Court against a decision of the Inner House of the Court of Session dismissed. Oceancrown Ltd, L

A man who was given a community payback order after being found guilty of a statutory breach of the peace by striking the windscreen of a car with a metal bar has won an appeal against his conviction. The Sheriff Appeal Court quashed the conviction after ruling that the case was one in which the cou

The Faculty of Advocates considers that the age of criminal responsibility in Scotland should be raised to 12 from the current age of eight – the lowest in Europe. This follows the reforms effected by the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, in terms of which no prosecution for an o

The Law Society of Scotland has said that clarity is needed on the current time limits for raising claims in court. In its response to a discussion paper published by the Scottish Law Commission (SLC) on prescription law, the Law Society has said that clarity on time limits could reduce time and mon

Following last week's statement from Verbatim Reporters writers stating that the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) had withdrawn its travel and mileage costs, to the detriment of its business, SLAB has responded that there is no legislative provision for these fees and that they will be brought into l

Eilidh Wiseman A new collaborative initiative to promote and support mental health and wellbeing in the Scottish legal community launches this week.

Tim Eicke

This day, 244 years ago, marked a milestone in the fight to abolish slavery, when the Scots-born Lord Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice  declared slavery “odious” and ruled that escaped slave James Somerset must be released in a case that was to usher in the abolition of the trade a

Voting is open for the Law Society of Scotland in-house lawyers committee (ILC) convener election and all in-house solicitors are being encouraged to make the most of their vote. The ILC convener will play a major role in leading and supporting the in-house community and representing in-house solici

Michael Matheson

The senior judge who reunited a girl with her violent father 11 months before he murdered her took “unwarranted” steps in doing so, a serious case review author has said. Mrs Justice Ogg has been severely criticised for her decision in a review into the murder of six-year-old Ellie Butler, who d

Inksters Solicitors is sponsoring Scottish Ensemble’s mini-residency to Shetland which kicks off today with a performance at Sumburgh Airport when the musicians arrive.