News

Clan Childlaw has lent its support to the latest amendments to the Children (Scotland) Bill, which would widen participation in children's hearings. The bill as amended would modify the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011. As a result of the changes, certain individuals, who are curre

The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued a warning to lawyers after a report highlighted the need for firms to be vigilant when advising on investment schemes following incidents in which poor practice left people at risk of falling victim to dubious schemes. The SRA's report looked at pa

A new bill has been introduced at Holyrood that would provide victims of historical child abuse in care in Scotland the opportunity to apply for financial redress payments of up to £80,000. The Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill aims to provide tangible reco

A new online resource is being made available to help support people experiencing, or at risk of, domestic abuse. The Domestic Abuse Awareness Raising Tool has been developed in partnership with stakeholders by the domestic abuse charity SafeLives, backed by £10,000 Scottish government investm

The UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA) will hold its annual Scottish conference on Thursday 24 September 2020. Conference topics include environmental standards and governance, decarbonisation and the net-zero target, climate change, aquaculture and duties under the Marine Act. There will also

Benjamin Bestgen discusses the rights of animals in his latest jurisprudential primer. See last week's here. Britain is said to be a nation of pet lovers, with an estimated 50 per cent of British adults having a pet – dogs, cats and rabbits being the most popular. But Britain is also a nation

Dog owners in Germany will be legally required to take their pets outdoors for exercise for half an hour at least twice a day. The new draft law proposes to change animal welfare law to ensure pets are not confined to kennels all day and are given enough outdoor exercise, The Times reports.

The Outer House of the Court of Session has allowed a proof to determine the true creditors of the incorporated joint venture responsible for the construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route in an action of multiplepoinding raised at the instance of the joint venture. Of the original 18 def

A survey of members of the Faculty of Advocates has found that there is support for the use of remote hearings as a temporary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey found that four in five agree that remote hearings are a useful addition to how court hearings are heard in Scotland. However

Following a successful inaugural virtual court, the Bail Appeal Court will now convene daily with the presiding appeal sheriff, clerk of court, prosecutor and defence counsel or solicitors all participating remotely. Traditionally the Bail Court sat in Edinburgh, originally in the High Court and mor

A former director of Rangers is to be given a public apology by the Lord Advocate as well as significant damages after he was wrongly prosecuted on charges of fraud. Imran Ahmad was prosecuted in 2015 over the takeover of the club in 2012. All charges, however, were dropped two years ago.

David Lorimer takes a look at the acquittal rate in last year's Scottish Mock Jury Trials and the 'Hollywood Effect'. The lighter side of remote trials being heard by juries in cinemas is already doing the rounds: ‘...selling tickets could reduce court costs...ice cream and sweeties could live

Dallas McMillan Solicitors has announced the appointment of Rosslyn Milligan as a senior associate in the firm’s private client department. Ms Milligan is joined at the firm by three new trainee solicitors, Kirsty Adams, Erin Doherty and Liam Mackay, all of whom commenced their traineeships wi

Moir and Sweeney Litigation has expanded with the opening of a new branch office at 879 Govan Road, Glasgow. Ian Moir said: "We look forward to serving the people of Govan from the new premises which can be contacted on 0141 429 2724. It is an exciting opportunity to be able to expand in what i

The Equality and Human Rights Commission in Scotland has published new research into how sexual history and bad character evidence is used in sexual offences trials. The findings have led to a call by the commission for an urgent review on how courts and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Servic