News

So much cocaine is being seized at a Belgian port that incinerators simply can't keep up. At least dozens of tonnes of the drug are being stored in customs warehouses at the port of Antwerp because of a lack of incineration capacity, The Brussels Times reports.

A judge in the English Court of Protection has ruled that the parents of a student who died from a stroke could not remove and store his sperm for the purpose of later conceiving a grandchild after an urgent hearing was convened to decide the matter. At the time of the hearing the relevant person, X

Dr Kirsteen Shields – senior lecturer in international law and food security at the University of Edinburgh, at the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems – reflects on the most recent discussion of the Land and Human Rights Forum (LAHRAF), exploring food systems' concerns relate

Crime recorded by police remains lower than before the pandemic, according to new statistics released today. The latest National Statistics: Recorded Crime in Scotland bulletin shows recorded crime is four per cent down since the year ending September 2018, falling 42 per cent in total since 2006-07

The case of Shamima Begum returns to the courts this week in a renewed appeal against the home secretary's decision in 2019 to deprive her of her UK citizenship on national security grounds. A new piece by Ronnie Clancy KC takes an in-depth look at saga so far, in three sections.

LawCare has published findings on the mental health needs of men in the workplace. A focus group of barristers, partners, mid-level and junior associates, in-house lawyers as well as those in support roles, from across the jurisdictions, was used to gain an idea of the mental health experiences of m

In a five part series for Scottish Legal News this week, BTO partner Cat MacLean tells the story of an epic legal battle with the Clydesdale Bank. She explains the reality of litigating against a huge opponent with bottomless pockets, the cost and funding of litigation and the need to find leve

Mediator John Sturrock KC has published A Mediator’s Musings: Volume 2, which gathers together much of his thinking and writing on a number of issues in the past couple of years. Topics include mediation practice and policy, politics and policy-making, the climate emergency, the war in Ukraine

Following the success of last year's Introduction to Animal Law event, presented by the UK Centre for Animal Law (ALAW), the Scottish Young Lawyers' Association has introduced a new series of events focusing on the law related to animal welfare in the UK in association with ALAW. The first event in

The founder of Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes, has been given a prison sentence of more than 11 years for her role in what has been dubbed as one of the "most substantial" white collar crimes in US history. Ms Holmes had falsely claimed that the technology designed by her start-up company could diagnose

CBI Scotland has announced the appointment of lawyer Jennifer Young as Scotland chair, unveiling an all-woman senior leadership team – a first for the organisation. Currently CBI Scotland's vice chair, Mrs Young is managing partner at Ledingham Chalmers. She will assume her role as chair in th

A proposal for a fatal accident inquiry into a tragic collision involving of RAF Lossiemouth-based Tornado jets has been rejected by Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC. Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said he was “deeply disappointed” that Ms Bain had rejected calls for a new meetin

The Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, has made a case for criminal prosecutions against Police Scotland over the death of Sheku Bayoh in 2015, The Sunday Times reports. Ms Bain represented the family of Mr Bayoh when she was at the bar. It has now emerged that she challenged the decision of her predec

Dean of Faculty, Roddy Dunlop KC, has said he will represent pro-independence blogger Wings Over Scotland on a no win, no fee basis after he was banned from Twitter just 10 days after being readmitted to the platform. Responding to an appeal to raise funds for Wings Over Scotland, which is the perso

Brandon Malone has transferred to the bar and will become a member of the Faculty of Advocates next month. He said on LinkedIn: "They say that a change is as good as a rest. After 30 years in law firms, 20 of those years as a solicitor advocate, I have decided to transfer to the Scottish Bar. I will