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A solicitor advocate whose wife, daughter and another driver were killed in a car crash while he was at the wheel has been found not guilty of causing their deaths at Inverness Sheriff Court. Andrew Houston's Audi A4 hit a Jeep on A9 in July 2013. His wife, Abigail, 42 and daughter Mia, seven, as we

Plans to include video-conference communications with MSPs in the Scottish government's lobbying proposals have been welcomed by Law Society of Scotland – though it noted the absence of provision for other forms of communication at this stage. Brian Simpson, policy officer at the Law Society said:

Lorna Jack The Law Society of Scotland is seeking solicitors’ views on the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission's (SLCC) draft operating plan and budget for 2016/17.

Scotland’s first summary sheriffs have been appointed as part of the major modernisation of the court system. The Courts Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 created a new judicial office of summary sheriff to deal with some types of civil and criminal cases in the sheriff court. The move is part of the gov

Neil Stevenson The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has welcomed the outcomes of two Court of Session cases – the first in connection with an appeal against its decision to reject a complaint for investigation and a second which highlighted the importance of making an appeal against a d

Legislation which aims to provide a modern framework for burials and cremations in Scotland has been supported by Holyrood's Health and Sport Committee. However, to ensure that historic poor practices are never repeated, the committee has called for clarification and amendment to strengthen a number

The Faculty of Advocates has helped MSPs to examine the implications of a possible repeal of the Human Rights Act in favour of a "British Bill of Rights". In written evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s European and External Relations Committee, the Faculty said it was not convinced of the need f

Michael Matheson People on community payback orders (CPOs) carried out more than 1.3 million hours of unpaid work in communities across Scotland in 2014/15, according to a new report published today.

(L-R): Illaria Moretti and Gillian McGarry The Scottish final of the Brown Mostyn International Client Consultation Competition was held on 29th January and the topic was "Matrimonial Disputes ".

Local school pupils have battled their way to the semi-finals of the Law Society of Scotland’s national debating tournament after arguing the cases for and against paying compensation for historical injustices. Of the 128 teams that entered the Donald Dewar Memorial Debating Tournament, 16 teams f

Lord Neuberger A Conservative think tank has condemned increasing fees of more than £1,000 an hour charged by City law firms for restricting access to justice.

The judgment in a case in which snack van operators successfully challenged a Scottish local authority ban which prevented them from trading near schools has been published. A number of street traders sought to reverse a decision of the defender, North Lanarkshire Council, to prohibit snack vans sel

Lord Pentland The UK's three law commissions have called for a new legal framework for the conduct of elections and referenda in an interim report published today.

John Swinney Many thousands of homeowners will be hit by the second homes levy due to come into effect in the coming months.

Joe FitzPatrick The Scottish government has said its plans to increase transparency around lobbying have been “enhanced” with the commitment to a two-year review of its widely ridiculed lobbying legislation.