News

Sexual crimes declined by two per cent in the year ending to December 2024, according to statistics released by Scotland's chief statistician. The police in Scotland recorded 298,308 crimes in total in that period. This was one per cent lower than the 302,076 crimes recorded in the year ending Decem

Jones Whyte is leading a group action against Johnson & Johnson over claims its talcum powder causes cancer. In recent years, a significant legal battle has emerged in the US surrounding the pharmaceutical giant's talcum powder products. 

The Scottish Police Federation has called for the introduction of 'night courts' to address the criminal backlog in Scotland's justice system. David Kennedy, speaking at the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow, said extending opening times of courts is the only way to tackle the backlog.

The Isle of Man is likely to become the first jurisdiction across these islands to legalise assisted dying. A private member's bill, now at its final stage, would make assisted dying available to adults who are terminally ill and expected to die soon.

The Scottish government has abandoned plans to grant anonymity to child homicide victims. The government ran a 12-week consultation seeking views on possible legislative and non-legislative approaches to reduce trauma that media reporting of child homicide cases can cause grieving loved-ones.

Judges in Scotland feel disrespected, overworked and underpaid, according to a new survey. The UK Judicial Attitude Survey (JAS) is a longitudinal survey conducted with all serving judges in the UK. Undertaken by University College London's Judicial Institute, it is the only known survey of its kind

Holyrood will be asked tomorrow to agree to the appointment of a new member of the Standards Commission for Scotland. The role of the Standards Commission is to promote high ethical standards in public life through the promotion and enforcement of Codes of Conduct for councillors and members of devo

Aberdein Considine has boosted its Aberdeen-headquartered corporate division with the appointment of new associate solicitor Michael Leith. Mr Leith joins Aberdein Considine’s corporate and business advisory team led by partner Ritchie Whyte in “one of the firm’s busiest periods fo

A man whose credit card was stolen and used to buy a €500,000 (£414,000) winning lottery scratchcard in France has appealed to the thieves to come forward so they can split the prize. The winning ticket, purchased in Toulouse, has yet to be submitted for collection.

A Scottish government report that fails to address the legal aid crisis has been met with scorn by Dean of Faculty, Roddy Dunlop KC. The Short Life Working Group on the Future of the Legal Profession, consisting of lawyers, government representatives and others was established in 2022. Though it met

Birkenstock has failed in a legal bid to have its iconic sandals recognised as works of art. The footwear manufacturer failed to convince the highest civil court in its home country of Germany that its cork-soled shoes should still enjoy copyright protection.

Reported crime on Scotland’s rail network has risen by one-third since before the pandemic, with increases in violence, antisocial behaviour, and sex crimes described as “deeply worrying”. Figures from British Transport Police (BTP) show that total reported crimes increased fr

Justice Secretary Angela Constance has pledged to explore “transitional arrangements” to prevent prosecutors from dropping thousands of criminal cases as statutory time-bar limits revert to pre-pandemic levels later this year. With Scotland’s criminal justice system already under p

A legal aid application for the private prosecution of footballer David Goodwillie for rape has been approved by the Scottish government. In 2017 a sheriff in a civil case found that Mr Goodwillie and former teammate David Robertson raped Denise Clair.

Strathclyde University has won this year's Lord Jones Moot Competition. The competition is named in memory of University of Dundee Law School alumnus Lord Jones, who was instrumental in its founding and judged the final in 2016.