News

The lasting power of attorney system in England and Wales is open to fraud due to a lack of routine identity checks, a BBC investigation has found. A fraudster was granted genuine lasting power of attorney over a woman's financial affairs using fake names and forged signatures, according to the inve

A Glasgow man who was convicted of sexually assaulting two women in a Glasgow nightclub on New Year’s Day 2020 and sentenced to a community payback order has lost an appeal against both convictions. Jack Ferguson was convicted by a jury of two charges under sections 2 and 3 of the Sexual

A celebrity chef has won defamation proceedings brought against a food critic who wrote a scathing review of his "bland risotto". Italian chef Carlo Cracco sued Achille Ottaviani, editor of La Cronaca di Verona, over his assessment of the food served at an international wine festival in 2016.

Convictions imposed on people for consensual homosexual activity under former laws will be included in a scheme for “righting the wrongs of the past”, Home Secretary Priti Patel is to announce. Ms Patel said more people would have convictions for same-sex sexual activity removed from the

House-buyers in Edinburgh have paid an average £40,000 more for their homes in the past year, Lindsays has found. The firm has shared the year-on-year value rise in the properties it sold as its experts predict a busy start to the market in 2022.

Susan Scott has been promoted to partner at McCash & Hunter LLP. Ms Scott undertook her traineeship with McCash and Hunter and worked with the firm for a number of years. She spent a period of time working in Inverness before rejoining the firm in 2018.

Some 2,000 mobile phones have been confiscated from prisoners in Scotland because of rule breaches. The figures were obtained in a freedom of information request made by the Scottish Conservatives, who said phones given to inmates earlier in the pandemic should now be taken back.

Football fans who racially abuse players will be banned from attending matches for up to a decade under new laws. Home Secretary Priti Patel is introducing legislation to widen the ambit of Football Banning Orders – which can be imposed on people convicted of violence, disorder and racist or h

As businesses return from festive slumber, it’s an opportune time to consider how they can meet expectations on diversity and inclusion (D&I) matters in 2022. Some clients have expressed frustration at the lack of progress in terms of reaching their D&I objectives despite the substanti

The widower of an advocate who died after a medical device allegedly gave him a fatal dose of insulin has called for the use of the system to be paused. Paul McNairney died in November last year at the age of 39 after spending several days in intensive care.

Campbell Colin Watson passed away on 26 November at the age of 74. "Mr Watson died peacefully at home in November after a short illness. Born in 1947 in London, Campbell was sent to board at Drumtochty Castle Preparatory School and later Fettes College in Edinburgh. The experience perhaps instilled

The 1781 case of a former slave who found himself in a legal dispute is among newly digitised Court of Session papers, The Herald reports. "Having endured the horror of enslavement working on board merchant vessels between Greenock and the West Indies, James Graham’s fortunes appeared to have

Lawyers across Scotland are withdrawing from legal aid schemes due to their continuing dispute with the Scottish government over fees. Solicitors in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and the Borders are not participating in duty solicitor schemes in a move that should cause widespread delays to court proceedings

Particular complications can arise in claims involving multiple parties, not least when some of those involved wish to reach a settlement but others do not. Three recently issued judgments have highlighted some of the pitfalls to be avoided. In Loretto Housing Association Ltd v Cruden Buildings and

Barrister Amal Clooney has been made a fellow of the WS Society. Ms Clooney, a member of Doughty Street Chambers, expressed her thanks to the trustees “for considering me for this honour alongside distinguished colleagues who I consider mentors and friends”.