News

Recently I attended events which got me thinking about the kind of society we are now living in – and the role of the legal profession in it. At the Scottish Mediation conference, Professor Gurchathen Sanghera, a specialist in peace, conflict and violence from the School of International Relat

Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD), which has an office in Edinburgh, has featured in the Top 75 employers list in the 2022 Social Mobility Employer Index. This year saw around 150 businesses and public sector organisations enter the index, which assesses employers across seven key areas, including engagem

Hunter & Robertson Solicitors has announced the appointment of Terence Docherty as a director. Mr Docherty has experience in many areas including residential and commercial conveyancing and private client matters.

The Sheriff Appeal Court has allowed an appeal by a firm that sought the dismissal of an action raised against it by their former commercial agent in Scotland after it ruled that a plea of res judicata should have been accepted by the sheriff. Pursuer and respondent Hugh Beattie originally raised th

A police chief who flashed her badge after being stopped for riding a golf cart on the street has been forced to resign. Mary O'Connor, head of the police force in Tampa, Florida's third-largest city, was the passenger in a golf cart that was pulled over last month for driving on a road without a li

Title insurance provider Westcor International has given its support to less-advantaged Scottish law students by becoming a Lawscot Foundation sponsor. Westcor International has made a donation to the Foundation which will cover the bursary grant for one Scottish LLB student for a year.

Legislation creating protest-free buffer zones around abortion clinics in Northern Ireland is compatible with European human rights laws, the UK Supreme Court has unanimously ruled. The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Bill was referred to the court in May by the Attorney General for Northern I

Employment law specialist Catriona Aldridge discusses how environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) can help employers with recruitment and reduce turnover. At a time of labour shortages and rising wage demands, implementing workforce ESG strategies can make an employer stand out to pros

Stephen Eckersley, ICO director of investigations, discusses the rationale behind the decision to begin publishing reprimands. John Edwards, UK Information Commissioner, recently set out our strategic approach to regulatory action when he said: “Members of the public, and those affected by a b

A Lord Ordinary has reduced a decision of the Home Secretary rejecting a take charge request by the Greek authorities concerning of two Syrian brothers who applied for asylum there but wished to go and live with their uncle in Glasgow. Petitioners A and B, twins born in 2003, were informed that they

An historic legal case which found that slavery was “not recognised” in Scots law has been commemorated in a plaque installed at the Court of Session.

Pinsent Masons has announced that Scottish litigator Laura Cameron will succeed John Cleland as the firm’s managing partner with effect from 1 May 2023. During her 28 years at the firm, Ms Cameron, who is based in Glasgow, has had significant influence in shaping the business through leadershi

Burness Paull has been recognised as a top 75 employer in the Social Mobility Foundation’s Employer Index 2022 for the first time. The index is an annual benchmarking tool for organisations looking to understand how they are performing on social mobility and where they can improve. It is compi

More than 50 per cent of women and children who have been forcibly displaced are estimated to have experienced sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) during their migration journey. SGBV includes different forms of violence such as rape and sexual assault, emotional violence, forced marriage and fo

A former SNP councillor has been jailed for grooming and abusing six teenage boys. Forty-year-old Mark Kerr, from Motherwell, was found guilty of nine charges involving young males, including one attempted rape.