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There was a significant recovery in most areas of legal aid activity in 2021-22 following the substantial drop the previous year, according to the annual report of the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB). The total cost to the taxpayer of providing legal assistance was £118.2 million in 2021-22.

A senior law firm partner was left embarrassed after circulating a memo about climate change with reference to the non-existent "Valerian Sea". In a newsletter sent round a City of London firm, the lawyer said he had a "eureka moment" when he was "leaving a Scandinavian port on the Valerian Sea in t

The Scottish government is on a collision course with the courts again as it prepares legislation criminalising conversion therapy, according to a KC. Double silk Aidan O’Neill KC has warned that the proposals would be outside the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament.

The Inner House of the Court of Session has made an order for two solicitors to deliver a file to the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission that it had sought as part of a complaint investigation into them, under exception of any privileged material contained in it. It had previously been held by the

No child aged under 18 will be sent to a young offenders institution under legislation that has been introduced to the Scottish Parliament. The Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill aims to improve experiences and outcomes for children by diverting them away from the criminal courts, with maxi

Thorntons has expanded its Glasgow practice with the appointment of a new senior solicitor and legal director to its commercial real estate team. Richard Hart has over 25 years’ experience in the real estate sector acting for housebuilders, landowners and tenants on all aspects of site acquisi

Views on juryless trials made in response to a consultation were mixed, according to a new report. An analysis of the three-month consultation on improving peoples’ experience of the justice system found “support across the board” for giving complainers in sexual offence cases an a

A 50-year-old Italian tourist has been sentenced to three years' imprisonment for causing the deaths of five people after drifting into oncoming traffic. Alfredo Ciociola was sentenced at the High Court in Livingston after having been found guilty of causing the deaths of Audrey Appleby, Edward Reid

Martin Sinclair, a partner with Mackinnons Solicitors LLP, has been elected as the new president of the Society of Advocates in Aberdeen for the coming year. Founded by Royal Charter in 1774, the society has played an important role in highlighting Aberdeen on the legal map of Scotland.

Dickson Minto has been acquired by US law firm Milbank, The Lawyer reports. The firm's Edinburgh office will remain independent, while the London team will be joining Milbank’s City operations early next year.

Scottish Legal News spoke to Niamh Hargan about her busy life as a media lawyer and novelist. Lawyer by day and writer by night – literally – Niamh Hargan juggles a demanding job in media law while penning novels in her spare time.

Justices of the Supreme Court took part in a virtual exchange with the High Court of Australia this month. The event was part of a series of virtual bilateral meetings with judges globally. Roundtable discussions were led by justices from each delegation on different topics, including the structures

A Russian blogger who shared a bizarre dream involving Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been fined 30,000 rubles (£386). Ivan Losev, a 26-year-old in Siberia, wrote on Instagram about a dream where he was conscripted and then captured with his comrades by Ukrainian forces led by Zel

The Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC has issued a statement following developments in the investigations into the Lockerbie bombing. Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi, a former Libyan intelligence officer, is in the custody of the United States Department of Justice and faces charges on two crim

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has announced that Anne Gibson will join board on 1 January 2023. The appointment is for five years. Ms Gibson has a professional background in education and community learning and development and has worked in leadership roles across the public, priva