News

A number of projects to construct new health centres and schools with money from the private sector are to be put on hold amid contractual problems. About £500 million of public cash has been put aside as a contingency plan after confusion arose over how projects under the Scottish government’s n

A motorist who was convicted of breach of the peace after being accused of conducting herself in a “disorderly manner” by “following” two people in her car and placing them in a state of “fear and alarm” has had her conviction quashed on appeal. The Criminal Appeal Court held that the dr

Declan Welsh

Staff at Shepherd and Wedderburn's London office pack donated food

A Northern Irish employment tribunal has found in favour of an obese man who claimed he was harassed because of his disability. A former employee of Randox Laboratories, a health care diagnostics firm, argued he had been discriminated against as a result of being fat.

The deans of faculties of procurators from throughout Scotland were guests of the dean of the Faculty of Advocates at a dinner which is believed to be the first event of its kind.

The Faculty of Advocates has established a new committee to help promote the profile of Scotland’s legal system internationally. Alistair Clark QC, is to chair the International Committee which will add to the efforts of the Faculty to showcase the best the country has to offer.

From left: Robert Carr, Natalie McCartney, Judy Williamson and Gary Burton

One of the most outspoken and respected judges in the US has contributed a major essay to our Annual Review 2015 to be published this month. New York judge Jed Rakoff (pictured) examines the development of plea bargaining in a timely reminder of the dangers of the triumph of populism over principle

The former lord chief justice of England and Wales has said cartoonists should avoid offending Muslims. Lord Woolf (pictured) warned against the consequences of offending Muslims when he said: “By now it must surely be appreciated that depicting the prophet in a derogatory way will case grave offe

Following the news that criminals are continuing to be jailed for mere weeks despite the introduction of legislation that was intended to end prison sentences of less than three months, a solicitor advocate has attributed this to regional differences in how offenders are handled. As The Herald repor

A survey designed to give salaried members of the judiciary in Scotland the opportunity to provide feedback on their views and experiences of serving as a judge has found that almost all judges who have been in their post for at least 5 years (82 per cent) feel working conditions are worse now than

A mother who was convicted of assault after grabbing hold of and shouting at a schoolboy involved in a play-fight with her son has had her conviction overturned by appeal judges. The woman was convicted after trial in a Justice of the Peace Court of seizing hold of the six-year-old boy by the collar

A juror has been found guilty of contempt of court and fined £400 after he told a judge he forgot to turn up at Perth Sheriff Court. Jordan Hutchison slowed two trials at the court and inconvenienced over 70 members of the public as well as court staff.

A police force has been forced to apologise after an officer told a newsagent to give him the names of four people who bought copies of the commemorative edition of the Charlie Hebdo magazine. Wiltshire Police said it has now deleted the names of the buyers – collected after police told newsagents