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A London winery is facing legal action from one of France's best-known champagne houses over its use of the name "Crystal". Renegade Urban Winery sells Crystal – named for customer Crystal Lai, who is also pictured on the bottle – on its website for £27 a pop.

Dozens of US states have come together to launch legal proceedings against Meta, alleging that its Instagram and Facebook platforms are harmful to children and teenagers – which Meta denies. A federal lawsuit has been filed in northern California by a coalition of 33 attorneys general, while e

Japan's highest court has struck down a law requiring transgender people to be surgically sterilised before their gender identity can be legally recognised. The Supreme Court of Japan today unanimously ruled that the provision in a law dating back to 2003 is incompatible with Article 13 of the Japan

A record number of trials in England and Wales have been delayed because of an inability to find judges. Analysis by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) and The Independent found that 51 trials were delayed on this basis between April and June 2023 – more than double the average in the five yea

New legislation is needed to ensure Scotland's legal aid system remains modern, responsive and targeted, the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) has said as new figures show costs rose by 14 per cent to £135 million in 2022/23. The rise in expenditure, revealed in SLAB's latest annual report, was

Tony Lenehan KC was the top earner on the Scottish legal aid scheme last year, taking in £400,000 in fees – up 16 per cent on the previous year, when he was second to Donald Findlay KC. The annual figures published today show Ronaldo Renucci KC taking second place with £336,000 in

Less than half of rape and attempted rape cases brought to the Scottish courts end in a conviction in continuance of a decade-long trend, according to new figures. The latest annual statistics on criminal proceedings concluded in the Scottish courts show a 48 per cent conviction rate in rape and att

A nearly five per cent increase in corporate insolvencies in the past year is likely to lead to a rise in personal insolvencies in the next six to 12 months, according to Gilson Gray. The latest figures from the Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) show there were 283 corporate insolvencies in July to Sep

The future of reproductive rights in Scotland will be the focus of the Humanist Society Scotland's annual conference this weekend. The annual gathering will take place at Surgeons' Hall on Friday 27 October, with guest speakers including:

The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has launched a project to find out how human rights are being experienced across the Highlands and Islands. The decision follows a report which identified areas of concern in rural areas of Scotland, including lack of affordable and quality housing, limite

Thorntons has welcomed six new solicitors – Louise Wilson, Annie Muir, Maxine Chiverton, Claire Paterson and Denny Christison.

Martha Quinn, one of Scotland's top pension lawyers, has passed away. Ms Quinn spent the past six years working at the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) in London, having previously held a number of positions in legal and financial firms in Scotland and London over a nearly three-decade career.

Authorities have been urged to crack down on so-called "siren kings" who fit out their cars with dozens of gigantic speakers and compete to see who can play music the loudest. Residents of Porirua, New Zealand have petitioned their local government to intervene and stop the "siren battles" taking pl

A solicitor has been fined £1,500 after being found guilty of professional misconduct for failing to provide a document in response to a request from the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC). After being brought before the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal (SSDT) for failin

The Scottish Covid-19 inquiry has today begun hearing evidence from individuals and groups adversely impacted by Scotland's pandemic response. The health and social care impact hearings mark the beginning of the statutory inquiry chaired by Lord Brailsford, which is investigating the devolved Scotti