News

A farmer has been ordered to demolish a castle he spent two years and £1 million to build. The castle was built after applying for planning permission in 1998. According to Surrey farmer Robert Fidler, the council never responded to the planning permission request.

Sheriff Principal Derek Pyle has offered his thoughts on the future of the justice system in a new era of technology following the Covid-19 pandemic. In an interview with the Judicial Office for Scotland following his recent succession to senior sheriff principal, the 69-year-old spoke of his experi

Foreign lawyers have been invited to join the Ukraine Bar Association (UBA) to show support for the war-torn country's legal profession. Lawyers anywhere in the world can become 'international participants' for €200 per year to "join our cause and help us continue our activities".

A former advocate has been convicted of historical sexual abuse against four children. John Watt QC, 72, was extradited to Scotland from the US to face trial over allegations of abuse of three girls and a boy in Edinburgh over a 14-year period in the 1970s and '80s.

Revenue at Pinsent Masons increased by just under six per cent to £531.1m while profit per equity partner rose by just over 16 per cent to £739,000 from £636,000, the firm's latest financial results show. In addition to commercial results, the firm measures itself against other met

A petition by a prisoner with Asperger’s syndrome challenging a decision not to allow him to progress from closed conditions to community release has been determined by a Lord Ordinary to be academic. Neil Robertson challenged a decision made on 8 November 2019 by a risk management team assess

Gilson Gray has struck a deal with legal and professional services specialist Knights to acquire Lincoln-based Home Property Lawyers (HPL) Ltd. HPL is a residential conveyancing specialist with 65 staff, all of whom have been retained as part of the deal, including current head of HPL, Gary Tyman.

The Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain QC does "not have the necessary degree of confidence" that the Scottish government's latest independence bill would be within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament, it has been revealed. The bill had been referred to the Supreme Court on the question of

Human rights organisation JUSTICE has been granted permission to intervene in a UK Supreme Court case concerning the introduction of safe access zones around abortion clinics in Northern Ireland. The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill, which was approved by MLAs in March, has been referred t

Clerk of Faculty, Richard Pugh, details how the Faculty of Advocates encourages those aspiring to a career at the bar. The Faculty of Advocates recently admitted 28 new members, the second-largest ever annual intake. This follows another large intake in 2020, when 24 new advocates were admitted.

A motion by a supplier of farming equipment to have a claim against it dismissed by reason of prescription has been refused by a judge in the Outer House of the Court of Session.  The firm of C&L Mair Ltd, the pursuer, had contracted with Mike Dewis Farm Systems Ltd for the supply and insta

Lady Hale, the former president of the UK Supreme Court, has warned of the "risks and dangers" posed by the Bill of Rights in a speech delivered in Belfast. The retired judge was invited to give the keynote address at the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission's (NIHRC) annual human rights le

Pinsent Masons has expanded into Luxembourg after having recruited a significant number of former Wildgen partners and their teams. Launched with an initial focus on the financial services sector, the firm’s seventh office in continental Europe provides significant benefit to Pinsent Masons&rs

A pair of prominent hoteliers have been rebuked by a judge over their "completely mad" battle over a worthless purple suitcase. Judith Andersson and Diane Ward have incurred costs of over £60,000 in the court battle over the suitcase, which contains family photographs with "no monetary value".

Balfour and Manson has promoted three lawyers to senior associate. James Hyams, Carolyn Jackson, and Peter Littlefair took up their new positions – in the private client, clinical negligence, and personal injury teams respectively – on 1 July.Mr Hyams started his traineeship with the fir