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People across Scotland are being invited to learn more about land rights and responsibilities in a new, free series of webinars. Kicking off on 19 October, the informal 45-minute lunchtime sessions aim to stimulate practical change in how land is owned, used and managed. The Scottish Land Commission

A 32-year-old Fife farmer has been fined £2,000 after deliberately damaging a badger sett. Peter Brown was sentenced at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court after being found guilty of two breaches of the Protection of Badgers Act in Leslie, Glenrothes.

Louise Duffy has joined BTO LLP as a legal director heading up the recoveries department. She said: “BTO is well respected in the Scottish legal market for being a full service firm with many excellent lawyers.

A Lord Ordinary has determined that a farmer who rented grazing land in the north of Scotland was in breach of a 2015 oral agreement on the payment of Scottish Government farming subsidies and therefore liable to make payments to the landowners. Golden Lane Securities Ltd and Christopher Moran &

A Court of Session judgment has reaffirmed the principle of legal privilege between solicitors and their clients. A hearing at the Inner House of the Court of Session determined that the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) is not entitled to recover legally privileged information in a solici

Leah Trueblood, career development fellow in public law at Worcester College, University of Oxford, carefully examines the bill on everyone's mind.  What is the purpose of the referendum proposed in the Scottish Independence Referendum Bill? Is it, as s 1 (1) of the Bill itself says &lsquo

New Zealand's government has proposed taxing farmers on the greenhouse gases produced by burping and peeing animals. The government said that the levy was a world first and that farmers could pass the cost on by charging more for green products.

Four members of Black Chambers have been appointed as King’s Counsel. Tony Lenehan, Gareth Jones, Steven Borthwick, and Michael Anderson all took silk in the latest appointments. This brings the total of King’s Counsel within Black Chambers to 15.Mr Lenehan called to the bar in 2005, and

Gillespie Macandrew has made a series of key hires. Newly appointed legal directors Fiona Scott, Stewart Dunbar and Garry Gibson joined the firm in September.Rural lawyer Fiona Scott, who joined from Brodies, is recognised for her in-depth experience within the rural property sector, with particular

Optimum Advocates has announced that four members of its stable have been appointed as King’s Counsel: Louise Arrol, Lorraine Glancy, John McElroy and Paul Nelson. They were among the 16 new silks that were appointed this year.

The Supreme Court hearing on whether Scotland can call an independence referendum without the consent of the UK government begins today. The case deals with whether Holyrood has the necessary powers to call a referendum. Over the next two days a panel of judges will consider arguments before releasi

The vast majority of criminal defence solicitors in Edinburgh have suffered mentally and physically from the work they do. A survey by the Edinburgh Bar Association (EBA) found that 87.5 per cent of members agreed that their role as a criminal defence solicitor has had a negative impact on their men

Michael Johnston has joined the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) as a solicitor. Formerly of Miller Hendry in Perth, he worked within the firm’s residential property department and specialised in conveyance on sale, security work, title disputes and the sale and purchases of house

An SNP politician has been rebuked over the tone of his remarks about the Supreme Court and the decision it reaches in the current referendum litigation. Michael Russell suggested that the court will “fail the people of Scotland” if it rules that Holyrood cannot hold its own independence

The second episode of The Ice Cream Wars tells the inside story behind the investigation, trial and convictions that would lead to a 20 year battle for justice that gripped Scotland.