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Ian Bowie has joined Shepherd and Wedderburn as a partner, bringing to the firm and its clients more than 25 years’ expertise advising on real estate projects, with a particular focus on energy and natural resources. Renowned for his technical skills and client focus, Mr Bowie supports clients

Plans announced by the Scottish government to restrict the public’s use of fireworks will be considered by the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee. A call for views launches today to gather views on the proposals from the public and stakeholders. The results of this work wil

A man who was convicted of being involved in a drug supply operation has had his conviction quashed on appeal to the High Court of Justiciary after the Crown indicated that it could no longer support the conviction. It was argued by the appellant, Patrick Hattie, that the trial judge had given insuf

LGBT+ History Month gives us time to reflect on the experiences of LGBT+ people and key moments that have affected and united the LGBT+ community. This year’s theme is Politics in Art and, each week, members of the Shepherd and Wedderburn LGBTA+ Focus Group are showcasing influential pieces of

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) in England and Wales has accused justice secretary Dominic Raab of lies against the backdrop of a looming crisis in the criminal courts. In an article for The Times yesterday, Mr Raab claimed that the CBA is "demanding that I ignore the public law principles that a

A right-wing US politician with a penchant for conspiracy theories has been widely mocked after appearing to confuse the Nazi Gestapo with "gazpacho" – a chilled Mexican soup. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has faced social media bans for promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories, excoriated "Nan

Amending human rights laws to give priority to domestic law could result in uncertainty, former Supreme Court justice Lord Carnwath has said. An independent review of the Human Rights Act recommended subordinating Strasbourg case law to UK law.

Residential property sales in Aberdeen and surrounding towns dipped in the final quarter of 2021, underlining concerns around potential interest rate and cost of living increases, according to a north east legal expert. Figures released by the Aberdeen Solicitors Property Centre (ASPC) showed proper

Protection for health boards from potential liability of hundreds of millions of pounds will remain in place after legislation was unanimously passed at Holyrood this week. The Coronavirus (Discretionary Compensation for Self-isolation) (Scotland) Bill will ensure health boards continue to have a ch

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Beijing Winter Olympics open under shadow of human rights criticism | The Independent

Predictably, and sadly, sections of the media (including the BBC) sought to trivialise this week's speech by former Prime Minister John Major, given at the Institute for Government, which they presented as a personal vendetta. Sir John's important warning on the assault upon the rule of law by

The Scottish Young Lawyers' Association has partnered with G2 Legal to deliver the 2022 NQ career talks. Each event will feature presentations from solicitors working across a range of legal sectors, an overview of the current market, and tips on application and interview preparation.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is facing a legal attempt to deprive it of its status as an independent group following its advice on transgender rights. LGBT charities want the United Nations to demote the EHRC because it called for a pause on proposed reforms to the Gender Recognit

The High Court of Justiciary has refused a Crown appeal against a sheriff’s decision that an indictment against a former teacher accused of lewd, indecent, and libidinous practices against pupils should be deserted. It was pled by the respondent, Paul Cooney, that the Lord Advocate, through th

A black QC has called for wigs to be banned from court following an incident in which another barrister was told he must wear one or face disciplinary action. Leslie Thomas QC said wigs were “fashioned for caucasian hair” and look “ridiculous” on black barristers.