News

A legally enforceable ban on smoking in parts of hospital grounds has been supported by MSPs on the Health and Sport Committee in its stage one report into the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) Bill. In the bill, the government is proposing to set a legally enforceable no-smoking area the sam

Edward Snowden A federal judge has affirmed his previous ruling that the National Security Agency's ( ) telephone collection programme was unconstitutional and has ordered it to stop gathering the phone records of a man and his business.

Ever popular in the 13 year history of the Scottish Legal Awards is the award for Rising Star of the Year with organisations taking the confident step of nominating their best emerging talent.

A man found guilty of a statutory breach of the peace for encouraging the rape of children on an adult chatline has failed in an appeal against conviction. Judges in the Criminal Appeal Court refused the appellant’s claim that his behaviour in the particular circumstances was “reasonable”, des

Responding to the Scotland Bill being passed by the House of Commons tonight, Christine McLintock, president of the Law Society of Scotland said: “The passing of this important constitutional bill in the House of Commons is a significant milestone in its parliamentary journey. “We are pleased to

The liquidator of a multi-million pound hedge fund who sued the company’s solicitors alleging that the firm “breached its fiduciary duties” to its client has had an action for payment of £7.3 million dismissed. A judge in the Court of Session ruled that while the pursuer had made a relevant c

Scottish Legal News has learned that some law firms have started covering the Diploma in Legal Practice fees in their entirety where before they either partly paid them or did not contribute anything. The Diploma in Legal Practice must be taken in addition to a qualifying LLB before a student can be

From left: Elaine Del Valle, Alan Borthwick and Graeme Kelly

Maggie Moodie The Scottish government has re-appointed Morton Fraser to provide its general property law services.

Lady Hale The UK Supreme Court's only female judge has said it should be “ashamed” if it fails to improve diversity in the next round of appointments.

Graeme Pearson A Labour Party review of Police Scotland has concluded it needs greater scrutiny and lacks transparency.

Fiona McAllister With the new Trade Mark Directive, published by the Council of the EU in June 2015, expected to be given a stamp of approval any time now, businesses should start thinking about reviewing their current levels of protection and consider whether anything further is required says Fiona

Maria Botha-Lopez The property market in east central Scotland is growing in confidence, with an increased number of homes being sold and more properties achieving their home report valuation, according to the latest analysis by ESPC.

John Forsyth SLN contributor John Forsyth has produced an hour long radio programme for Radio 4 to mark the 50th anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty.

Graham Ogilvy A new free daily email news service for Irish lawyers in both jurisdictions is attracting thousands of readers.