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DNA tests in family courts will be provided across England from later this year, justice minister Simon Hughes (pictured) has announced. This follows two pilot schemes in Taunton and Bristol which were set up following anecdotal evidence that courtroom arguments led to delays in divorce cases, parti

The Law Society of Scotland has published new equality standards for the legal profession along with a guide on carrying out an equal pay audit.The new standards and guide for law firms and other organisations employing solicitors follows publication of the Law Society’s third three-year equality

Fraud in Scotland increased by 67 per cent in 2014 compared to the previous year at the same time that fraud levels were falling across the UK according to the latest BDO FraudTrack which examines all reported fraud cases over £50,000 in the UK. The total value increased by £4,074,500 from £6,055

Paul Jennings (left) and John Perry

The Crofting Commission has confirmed that it has withdrawn its appeal to the Court of Session in connection with the Scottish Land Court’s decision of 18 December 2014 in the case of MacGillivray v Crofting Commission. That case concerned the Crofting Commission’s policy on decrofting where a c

The Law Society of Scotland has paid tribute to former chief accountant and deputy chief executive, Leslie Cumming (pictured), who passed away last week. Mr Cumming joined the Law Society as its chief accountant in 1984 and remained for 22 years until his retirement in 2006.

A police constable who was injured while playing the role of an attacker during an officer safety training course has had a claim for damages refused by a judge in the Court of Session. Debbie Stevenson was “strangling” a colleague on the floor of a gym when she was thrown off during an exercise

An application to secure EU-protected designation of origin status for rapeseed oil is to be submitted in the coming weeks. There are now eight brands of virgin cold-pressed rapeseed oil in Scotland.

A New Jersey judge has ruled that gay conversion therapy is fraudulent. Peter Variso Jr, Hudson County superior county court judge said in his ruling on a case concerning a group called Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing (JONAH) that the claims are illegal as per the state’s Consumer Fraud

The body overseeing civil courts has recommended that an online court be created to deal with claims up to £25,000. The Civil Justice Council has proposed lawyer-free, virtual dispute resolution courts to be made available within two years.

The UK government has been urged to widen the ambit of its child sex abuse inquiry to the entire UK rather than just England and Wales. A Home Affairs committee report called for the inquiry to cover Scotland and Northern Ireland, including the claims of abuse at Kincora Boys’ Homein Belfast in th

Local councils have threatened the Scottish government with legal action after it “imposed” a budget deal for teacher numbers on them. Officials of local authorities have said ministers have a “case to answer legally”.

A law student who studied at Glasgow Caledonian University has been murdered in Baghdad along with his father and the family’s bodyguards. Mohammad Al Janabi, 29, who was described as “vibrant and peace-loving” and was due to receive his PhD from the University, was shot dead with his father �

The chief constable of Police Scotland has admitted mistakenly recording “several hundred thousand” stop and searches per year. Sir Stephen House (pictured) said the numbers of routine encounters, such as taking alcohol from young people had distorted official statistics.

A man charged with being in possession of a class A drug with intent to supply has had his challenge to a decision to postpone his trial for five months refused. It was argued that the sheriff’s decision was “oppressive, erroneous and contrary to law”, but the Criminal Appeal Court ruled that