News

The Faculty of Advocates has expressed worry that the establishment of specialist courts for sexual cases would downgrade such offences as they would no longer be prosecuted within the High Court. The proposed specialist courts would have inferior sentencing powers and would be more like a "speciali

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has demanded the Scottish government respond to research stating that no recommendations to improve practice are made in nine out of 10 fatal accident inquiries into deaths in prison. Sheriffs made no recommendations for improvement in

A new sentencing guideline developed by the Scottish Sentencing Council comes into force in Scotland today. The sentencing process guideline sets out eight steps which courts should follow in order to reach a sentencing decision.

Terra Firma Chambers’ Scott Blair will chair CLT’s Licensing Conference on Thursday 7th October 2021. The virtual event, part of CLT’s Scots Law Autumn Series, will consider the numerous challenges faced by the licensing industry over the past 18 months. The conference will not onl

A company has been fined £20,000 after a mechanical engineer got his finger trapped in a printing machine. The 57-year-old man had been carrying out maintenance on a printing machine at United Closures and Plastics Limited, now known as Guala Closures UCP Limited, in Bridge of Allan on 14 Octo

Ashurst has announced the firm's new Inclusion, Diversity and Belonging (IDB) targets to be achieved by 2026 and launched its IDB action plan. The new targets, set by the board in consultation with the executive team and the Committed to Change Advisory Group, comprise:

The impact of Covid and Brexit, new legislation and reform are all key themes which will be considered at CLT Scotland’s Family Conference taking place online on Monday 4 October. Chaired by MacRoberts’ Marika Franceschi, the conference will consider the impact of the pandemic on court p

Michael Jackson memorabilia seized from the vice president of Equatorial Guinea will be used to help pay for Covid-19 vaccines for the country, US authorities have said. Obiang Mangue was required to sell the memorabilia, as well as a $30 million California mansion and a Ferrari, as part of a 2014 s

The Court of Appeal of England and Wales has set aside a decision of the High Court of Justice (Queen’s Bench Division) advising that children aged under 16 should not be prescribed puberty-blocking drugs as part of treatment for gender dysphoria without sanction from the court. The Tavistock

The Russian state likely assassinated rogue spy Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. In the case of Carter v Russia, the court held that there had been: unanimously, a failure by the Russian government to comply with their obligations under Article 38

Dmitry Dedov, Russia's judge at the European Court of Human Rights, gave a partly dissenting opinion in today's long-awaited judgment in the case brought by the widow of Alexander Litvinenko against the Russian state. Mr Litvinenko, a Russian defector and dissident, was fatally poisoned with poloniu

Mackinnons LLP, solicitors of Aberdeen, Cults and Aboyne has added experienced property lawyer Gregor Sim to its team to support clients in dealing with title issues, servitude work, commercial site development work and servitude/boundary issues. Previously a partner with James and George Colli

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published a code for businesses on how to communicate their green credentials ahead of a review of misleading claims. The Green Claims Code focuses on six principles which are based on existing consumer law. It states that firms making green claims &ld

The Scottish Land Commission is continuing its calendar of online public meetings and the next will cover Orkney.  The commission is holding an informal public meeting online to give residents of Orkney the opportunity to find out more about land reform and the role of land in creating a succes

Doughty Street Chambers' Jonathan Cooper OBE has passed away. He died suddenly on Saturday whilst walking in Scotland with his husband, Kevin. In a statement, his fellow members said that he had been "an inspiration and life force in chambers, throughout the bar and globally".