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Ministers have welcomed parliamentary approval of three new proposed commissioners to the Scottish Land Commission (SLC). Ministers selected Dr Lucy Beattie and Dr Calum MacLeod as land commissioners and Robert Black as tenant farming commissioner at the Scottish Land Commission, following their rec

Legislation to strengthen tenants’ rights and prevent homelessness has passed stage 1 in the Scottish Parliament. The Housing (Scotland) Bill aims to tackle poverty across Scotland by improving the renting experience for tenants, through a range of new rights and a system of rent controls, in

The former head of the Scottish Muslim Police Association (SMPA) has been ordered to repay £8,000 in compensation to the organisation after being convicted of embezzlement. Asma Ali, 47, of Glasgow, stole that sum from the SMPA and used the money to pay for flights and rail travel to London as

A stowaway has managed to fly from New York to Paris without a boarding pass. The woman, a Russian passport holder somewhere between 55 and 60 years old, is awaiting deportation to the United States following her arrival in France without a visa, CNN reports.

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Dying in ‘Hell’: The fate of Palestinian medics jailed by Israel

On 27 November the Sheriff Appeal Court held that it is a necessary condition for there to be an obligation that two persons are party to it, and so where there is no debtor, there is no debt. In Wright v Wright EDI-A337-23, the pursuer sought to call up a standard security granted by the defender f

The Pope's surgeon has been charged with fraud in connection with allegedly fake records of operations he never performed. Sergio Alfieri, who successfully operated on Pope Francis twice, in 2021 and 2023, lied about performing surgeries 29 times, prosecutors claim.

The Law Society of Scotland has commissioned a new research project to ensure it can best support smaller firms and the essential services they provide. Independent research company Taylor McKenzie will be contacting solicitors working in smaller firms, ranging from sole practitioners to firms emplo

Tributes were paid to the "impossible but fabulous" Ethel Houston to celebrate the 75th anniversary of her becoming the first female partner in a Scottish law firm. Ethel, who would have been 100 this year, became a partner at Balfour and Manson in 1949 – and her life and achievements were cel

Aberdein Considine has opened an office in Manchester’s Spinningfields as it embarks on a UK-wide expansion of its commercial property business. The firm, founded in 1981 in Aberdeen, has 21 offices across Scotland and the north of England.

BTO Solicitors LLP has announced record turnover and increased profits in its latest set of figures lodged at Companies House. Turnover amounted to £19.575 million (an increase of 6.9 per cent), with profits of £6.371m, representing a 16.9 per cent uplift on the 2022/2023 result.

The Scottish government has called for the UK government to consider a pilot proposal in Scotland which would give people seeking asylum the right to work in some parts of Scotland. The Scottish Right to Work Pilot Proposal proposes a number of changes to current UK policy, including enabling the ri

The Lawscot Foundation is aiming higher than ever to support talented law students from less-advantaged backgrounds with its annual Christmas campaign, Baublefest. The foundation has increased its target for the festive fundraiser to £7,500, topping last year’s record of £5,500. Th

A rapist who subjected three young children to a campaign of sexual abuse has been jailed. Alan Todd was found guilty of five charges on 28 October 2024 following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. The 54-year-old's offending took place at various addresses in Edinburgh between 2001 and 2019.

The average price of a property in Scotland in September 2024 was £198,000, an increase of 5.7 per cent when compared to September 2023, according to the latest figures from Registers of Scotland (RoS). Compared with the previous month, house prices in Scotland fell by 0.9 per cent on a non-se