The case for abolishing juries in sexual offence trials in Scotland "has not yet been proven", The Times has said. In an editorial published today, the newspaper said the right to trial by jury "has for centuries been the foundation of Scotland's criminal justice system", but that consensus "is now
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There are just 16 transgender prisoners across the entire Scottish prison estate and most are not held in prisons corresponding to their identity, new figures show. According to a report published by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) last week, there were 11 trans women and five trans men in Scottis
Said to be a 'living instrument', the European Convention on Human Rights was conceived in the throes of reconciliatory passion in May 1948 at the Congress of Europe in The Hague. It was brought to term by more than a hundred parliamentarians from across the region, including the Edinburgh-born Cons
Former US president Donald Trump has launched legal proceedings in a bid to secure the return of some of the documents seized during an FBI raid of his Florida home. He has asked a federal judge to appoint a "special master" to examine the seized documents and for federal investigators to pause thei
A court has been asked to rule on a copyright dispute between two artists who both taped a banana to a wall. US artist Joe Morford is suing Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, alleging that the latter stole his fruit-based artwork, The Guardian reports.
The Keeper of the Signet and former Lord Chancellor of Great Britain, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, will reflect on his extraordinary career at a free event in Edinburgh next month.
The Law Society of Scotland has raised serious concerns about a possible move to judge-only sexual offence trials in Scottish courts, and the creation of additional courts outside the existing judicial structure. The proposals are among a number contained in a Scottish government consultation paper
Scotland's largest residential landlord, the Glasgow Housing Association (GHA), has successfully defended a case brought under the Equality Act 2010 by housing charity Shelter Scotland. Michael Upton, of Themis Advocates, acted for the defenders.
Fines will no longer be used as a penalty in the vast majority of cases of sexual misconduct, discrimination or any form of harassment by English and Welsh solicitors under proposals published by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). A consultation launched yesterday on the SRA's fining regime
Burness Paull has announced an all-staff bonus of either five per cent of salary or £2,500 — whichever is higher — after recording a seven per cent increase in profit to £35.7 million in the year ended 31 July. The independent law firm announced the special bonus, which is in
A tool designed to mitigate risks for solicitors has won the Law Society of Scotland's 2022 Innovation Cup. Mary-Jay Morton, a senior associate solicitor at Laurie & Company in Ballater, Aberdeenshire, has won with an easy-to-use key dates calendar. It is designed to save time, stress, and worry
Rishi Sunak has accused Jolyon Maugham QC and his Good Law Project of "wasting time and money" by launching judicial reviews against the UK government. A press release issued by the Tory leadership contender's team about his plans to crack down on judicial reviews of government policy mentions Mr Ma
A wine seller who allegedly sold millions of bottles of cheap wine disguised with counterfeit labels from more prestigious regions will appear in court next month. Felipe Gimenez, owner of Tarragona wine company Reserva de la Tierra, has been summoned before a judge to answer charges of fraud, misle
Pakistan's ousted prime minister, Imran Khan, has been charged under terror laws for allegedly threatening a judge and police officers. The charges are said to relate to a speech he made in Islamabad on Saturday in which he said he would sue a magistrate and police officers, the BBC reports.
No prosecutions have been brought in relation to around 300,000 households who refused to complete Scotland's census despite repeated warnings. In June, census authorities wrote to all households who had refused to complete the census to "advise them that they are at risk of being referred for poten