News

Scotland’s prostitution laws breach human rights laws, an academic has warned. Dr Claire Methven O’Brien said that current laws in Scotland allow “tacit permission or encouragement to perpetrate acts of gender-based violence against women”. 

Lockton, the appointed brokers for the Master Policy, have an expanding library of risk management CPD modules on their Resource Centre, available to all Scottish legal practices.

A solicitor jailed for money-laundering offences amassed £1.7 million from a criminal enterprise operated through his legal practice, a court has heard. David Lyons, 74, generated the proceeds while working at Robertson & Ross in Paisley, Renfrewshire. However, prosecutors have agreed that

Amnesty International has condemned the Trump administration's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, which comes into effect today. The agreement is a legally binding international treaty adopted more than a decade ago by 196 parties aimed at combating climate change by pursuing efforts to limit glob

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) has welcomed Sir Anthony Smellie to London to take part in a week of hearing cases at the JCPC. Sir Anthony is the retired chief justice of the Cayman Islands, and currently sits on the Cayman Islands Court of Appeal. He was appointed to the Privy C

Lawyers acting for the wife of the captain of a Venezuela-linked oil tanker seized by US forces are seeking judicial review of his detention, arguing he is being held without legal authority. The Marinera, a Russian-flagged vessel, has been anchored in the Moray Firth in recent days. The tanker was

The European Commission has launched a new investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X in light of the international scandal around the creation and dissemination of AI-generated sexually-explicit images of women and children. The investigation under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) will

Scotland is set to be the strongest performing prime residential market in the UK over the next five years, outperforming both London and the wider regions, according to the latest forecast from Savills. The property firm says the sector is entering 2026 from a position of relative strength, charact

The EU has agreed to contribute €10 million to support the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute senior Russian political and military leaders for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The Council of Europe is leading the joint project to prepare the institutional, logistical and

A late judge's fine sense of humour has been warmly recalled in a letter to The Times. Mr Justice John Blofeld, a judge of the English High Court, passed away in November 2025 at the age of 93.

Irwin Mitchell has announced a two-year partnership with Cauda Equina Champions Charity to expand support for people living with Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) throughout Scotland. Cauda Equina Syndrome is a rare spinal surgical emergency that, if not treated urgently, can lead to life-changing consequ

The fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the deaths of Christopher Stuchbury, Donald Dinnie and Brett McCullough commences today at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.  The purpose of an FAI includes determining the cause of death, the circumstances in which the death occurred, and to establish what reasonabl

Proposed reforms to the freedom of information (FOI) regime in Scotland are not workable, according to a new report published today by Holyrood’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee.   In its stage one report on the Freedom of Information Reform (Scotland) Bill, t

Burges Salmon has announced the appointment of four new partners, including two in Scotland, effective from 1 May 2026. This year’s partner appointments include Edinburgh-based Paula McGeady and Patrick Munro from the firm’s planning & compulsory purchase team.

The proposed restructure of England and Wales’ police forces is needed to deal with the reality of 21st century crime but the mistakes that beset the creation of Police Scotland must be avoided, according to a University of Dundee expert in the subject. Professor Megan O’Neill, chair of