News

A US judge has resigned after investigators found thousands of photos of naked male defendants on his computer. Joesph Boeckmann, 69, from Arkansas is alleged to have exchanged sexual favours for more lenient sentences.

Her Majesty the Queen has appointed five new Senators to the College of Justice on the recommendation of the First Minister, including outgoing Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland QC (pictured). In addition, Sheriff John Beckett QC, Ailsa Carmichael QC, Alistair Clark QC, and Andrew Stewart QC will sit

Lady Smith A boarding school pupil with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who was effectively excluded after being caught having sex with another student on a teacher’s desk has had a discrimination case dismissed by appeal judges.

The Law Society of Scotland has warned that proposals aimed at protecting children online could backfire by driving activity to countries less likely to cooperate, resulting in less protection for young people. The UK government is consulting on proposals to introduce age verification for accessing

Frank Mulholland QC The Lord Advocate has said a second Lockerbie trial is a “realistic possibility”.

The commoditisation of legal work is rapidly undermining the traditional business model of law firms, according to a new report. The Trend is Clear, the Blow is Yet to Come - published by TGO Consulting - examines the contradiction between clients who see most legal work as commoditised and lawyers

Harriet Harman The Joint Committee on Human Rights has published a report on the UK government's policy concerning drones for targeted killing, concluding that the legal basis for the policy requires “urgent clarification”.

Derek Stroud Brodies LLP has expanded its corporate & commercial team with the appointment of new partner Derek Stroud, who has 25 years’ experience in corporate advisory work, M&A transactions and private equity deals. His appointment coincides with the promotion of two lawyers to partner

The Scottish Civil Justice Council (SCJC) has set up a new working group to take forward legislative changes to inquiries into fatal accidents and sudden deaths. Nominations were sought for membership appointments and considered by the Lord President. The working group comprises:

At the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday, Lady Rae sentenced Gary Stevenson to life imprisonment with a punishment part of 17 years after he pleaded guilty to the murder of Katy Rourke at their shared flat in Govan. Mr Stevenson murdered Miss Rourke after she refused to have sex with him. He struck

Ray Gribben Ray Gribben examines the government's proposals for tackling money laundering in the wake of the Panama Papers.

Andrew Mackenzie The Scottish Arbitration Centre has won its bid for Edinburgh to host the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) Congress 2020. The other cities that bid for the congress were Copenhagen, Mexico City, Stockholm, St Petersburg, Vancouver and Vienna. The final written

Pictured (L-R): Gill Howie, Arbroath’s Festival of Heroes Committee and Scott Williamson, chairman, Blackadders.

Lord Bracadale A sentence of four years' imprisonment imposed on a motorist who was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving while almost three times the legal limit for alcohol was not “unduly lenient”, appeal judges have ruled.