News

A recently-established organisation aimed at improving access to justice for women in Scotland is the latest body to form a link with the Faculty of Advocates' pro bono service. The Scottish Women's Rights Centre (SWRC) has joined a list of 30 partner agencies accredited by the Free Legal Services U

Richard Lochhead The Scottish government is to consult on the use of electric shock dog collars which could result in stricter controls or an “outright ban”.

A father who was jailed for two years after being found guilty of abducting his 11-year-old son has failed in an appeal against conviction but had his sentence reduced to one of nine months’ imprisonment. The Criminal Appeal Court ruled that he had “no lawful authority” to remove the child fro

Professor Alan Miller Scotland’s national human rights institution has this week reported its long-standing concerns about unlawful police stop and search practices to the United Nations.

A convicted criminal who was refused audience with Scottish judges on the matter of privately prosecuting the Lord Advocate is to to appeal to the UK Supreme Court. Russell Stirton, 54, sought the permission of the Criminal Appeal Court in Edinburgh to privately prosecute Frank Mulholland QC.

Simpson & Marwick has announced that Euan Allan and Alison Grandison have joined the firm.

The Law Society of Scotland has responded to the UK government's proposals on English votes for English laws – a change which would see English and in some instances Welsh MPs given a veto over laws in the House of Commons which do not apply in Scotland.

The UK government's intelligence agency GCHQ illegally spied on Amnesty International a tribunal which deals with complaints about the security services has said. Amnesty confirmed that the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) sent it an email correcting a previous judgment which provided that GCHQ h

The annual University of Aberdeen prize for "Best Intellectual Property Law" related dissertation, sponsored by Cloch Solicitors, was secured by undergraduate law student James Field this month for his critical analysis of “The Patentability of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Based Inventions in the Eur

The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales has backed calls for the abolition of the dock as part of an attempt to modernise the court system. Lord Thomas of Cwymgiedd lent his support to the new report by all-party human rights group Justice argues the dock should be removed and that defendants sh

A lawyer who breached an order banning him from practising as a solicitor by pretending to be a colleague has had his jail term quashed by judges in the Court of Session. The appeal regarding the breach itself was not overturned.

A 47-year old man accused of murdering Surjit Singh Chhokar in 1998 will stand trial at the High Court in Glasgow next February. Ronnie Coulter from Wishaw has denied accusations that he killed the 32-year old waiter with a knife in Overtown, North Lanarkshire, while acting with two other men.

Paul Wheelhouse Views are being sought on proposals to clarify the law on when possession of an object becomes ownership.

Anne Begg Perthshire has seen some positive trends in the local property market in the first half of 2015, with sales up on last year.

A council laid off six labourers before offering five of them new contracts in a bid to get rid of one of the employees The Courier reports.