News

Tighter laws around grouse shooting in Scotland are being considered in an effort to protect wildlife and the environment. The new proposals published for consultation will form a new Wildlife Management (Grouse Moor) Bill, which aims to ensure that grouse moors are managed in a sustainable way.

A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the deaths of Lamara Bell and John Yuill is to take place more than seven years after their deaths in a road traffic incident on the M9 on 5 July 2015. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has lodged a First Notice with the Sheriff Court to comme

The International Criminal Court (ICC) must investigate unlawful attacks committed during Israel's August assault on the Gaza Strip as war crimes, Amnesty International has said. A major new report from the international human rights organisation reconstructs the circumstances around three specific

Richard Gray, partner and head of corporate at Belfast law firm Carson McDowell, welcomes new clarity on creditor duty. The UK Supreme Court considered the existence, content, and engagement of ‘creditor duty’ for the first time ever in the matter of BTI 2014 LLC (Appellant) v Sequana SA

Former sheriffs have questioned "bizarre" proposals to create a specific offence for the theft of dogs. Douglas Cusine said: “The suggestion of having a specific offence of stealing a dog is bizarre. The existing law covers this and an accused could be put on indictment which could result in f

A £1.8 million fund for children's education in Aberdeenshire and Moray is on the brink of “collapse” after the WS Society cut links to it over its connection to the Atlantic slave trade. Robert Pirrie, chief executive of the WS Society, confirmed that it would no longer be appoint

Unhappy customers are suing "Italy's No. 1 brand of pasta" after discovering its products are actually made in Iowa and New York. A federal US judge this week ruled that the class action lawsuit against Barilla, the world's largest pasta manufacturer, can go to trial.

An MSP has launched a consultation on creating a specific crime of stealing dogs in Scotland, even though doing so is already a crime. Scottish Conservative MSP Maurice Golden's plans would see anyone convicted of stealing a dog face up to five years in prison, even though there is no such limit und

The number of homicides across Scotland last year reached its lowest point since records began in 1976. In 2021-22, 53 victims of homicide were recorded, 10 per cent, or six victims, fewer than the 59 victims recorded in 2020-21 and down 54 per cent over the past 15 years.

The Supreme Court will sit in Manchester next March, Lord Reed has announced. The sitting in Manchester will be the first time the court has ever sat outside one of the four UK capital cities. Three cases will be heard when the court, whose permanent home is in central London, sits at the Manchester

Northern Ireland will become the first part of the UK and one of the first countries in the world to introduce miscarriage leave and pay under plans now out for consultation. The two-month consultation follows the recent introduction of the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act (Northern Ireland)

UK consumers are at risk of predatory practices by big tech firms because of delays in promised competition legislation, an influential Westminster committee has said. A new report by the business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) committee notes that the government has not yet published the Di

Arnot Manderson Advocates is delighted to report the remarkable achievement of twenty eight individual rankings (including nine in Band 1) across fifteen wide ranging Practice Areas in the recently announced Chambers and Partners listings. As well as the haul of individual rankings Arnot Manderson

To mark Black History Month, the Scottish Young Lawyers' Association is delighted to host an event this Thursday. In line with the Black History Month theme of 'Time for Change: Actions Not Words', the event will examine what it means to build a culture of allyship within the Scottish legal professi

Property lawyers have been urged to prepare for a housing market crash similar to that seen in 2007 and 2008. England and Wales' Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), which regulates conveyancing firms, has recommended solicitors prepare for a 40 per cent fall in deals.