News

A new type of court meeting introduced last month has received a mixed reaction from solicitors in Aberdeen, the Evening Express reports. Pre-intermediate diet meetings (PIDMs) came into effect on December 1 in an attempt to help resolve the backlog of cases and reduced the need for attendance at co

Gilson Gray is planning to expand its business and have a “significant impact” in Dundee this year. The firm opened an office in South Tay Street last year and now has almost 20 staff, among them property expert Lindsay Darroch.

A new fund to help organisations provide support for victims of crime using money paid by offenders has opened for applications. The Victim Surcharge Fund, drawn from additional financial levies imposed on all offenders who receive a court fine, has opened to bids from organisations that provide dir

This week Balfour and Manson welcomed its newest intake of trainees: Laura Dodson, Findlay Glynn, Claire Metcalfe and Dylan Mitchell.

Disruption can bring opportunities, and those businesses which have a mindset of accepting opportunities thrown up from the unwelcome disruption caused by Covid-19 will survive and thrive, while new businesses will emerge to capitalise on these opportunities. Initially, the pandemic led to a tempora

The influence of cognitive bias, stereotypes and other factors beyond the law on judicial decisions is explored in a new book by Dr Brian Barry, a law lecturer at Technological University Dublin. How Judges Judge: Empirical Insights into Judicial Decision-Making, published by Informa Law from Routle

The Scottish Young Lawyers' Association (SYLA) is hosting an online meet-up to bring trainees from the 2019/2020/2021 intake together. It is hoped this event will allow trainees to get to know one another virtually – with a view to meeting in person in the future.

A pigeon which somehow travelled 8,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean is being hunted by authorities as a possible quarantine risk. Australian officials are trying to capture and destroy the bird as a "direct biosecurity risk to Australian birdlife", Al Jazeera reports.

A man who appealed the decision of a children’s hearing not to require the local authority to organise a DNA test as part of a compulsory supervision order has been successful in an appeal to the sheriff. The appellant, JS, had been party to referral proceedings in relation to a child tha

The UK government's review of the Human Rights Act has launched a call for evidence. The review will consider how the act is working in practice and whether any change is needed.

House prices and home sales activity increased in Scotland according to the December Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey. However, respondents anticipate the latest lockdown restrictions, related economic challenges and the end of the Stamp Duty holiday to weigh

Global legal business DWF, which has offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh has announced plans to adopt a new internal operating structure with effect from May 2021. The group will replace its four divisions – commercial services, insurance services, international and connected services – wit

UK government business minister Paul Scully has today issued a rallying call to employers across the country to ensure their organisation is spotting signs of domestic abuse. In an open letter to all UK employers, the business minister has outlined a few steps they can take to build awareness of dom

Yesterday was a record day for our sister publication Scottish Construction Now with over 30,000 visitors to its website. The total number of unique visitors was 30,483 – a new milestone. The free daily SCN newsletter was also sent to 10,110 readers.

In this charming video, Iain Smith, partner at Keegan Smith Defence Lawyers discusses the concept of Adverse Childhood Experiences and its value for lawyers and the justice system in general.