News

Benjamin Bestgen takes a look this week at robotic weapons and the law. See last week's primer here. Killer robots, or “Lethal Autonomous Weapons” (LAWs), have been in our popular conscience for decades. Science fiction fans are familiar with Isaac Asimov’s Laws of Robotics and mos

An investigation has been launched after a two-metre-tall sculpture of an erect penis disappeared from a mountainside as mysteriously as it appeared. The sculpture baffled locals when it first appeared on the Grünten mountain in the south of Bavaria, Germany some years ago but later became a po

The Upper Tribunal for Scotland has allowed an appeal by the former co-tenant of a flat in Edinburgh after it was ordered to reconsider her case by the Court of Session. Kate Affleck, the appellant, was one of four tenants of a flat owned by the respondents, Chris and Sarah Bronsdon.

So, today it’s the beleaguered staff at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service balloting on strike action. Yesterday, it was the hard-pressed members of the Edinburgh and Glasgow bar associations taking action. Both of these actions, to which Scottish Legal News is entirely sympathetic

The claim that juries subscribe to rape myths and are biased against complainants has no basis in empirical fact, a new study has found. The work, undertaken by academics at University College London, is also informed by research that casts serious doubt on the value of mock juries as a proxy for re

The FDA trade union has today launched a ballot for industrial action over the fact Crown Office lawyers are paid less than their Scottish government counterparts.  The move could see about 500 procurators fiscal walk out early next year.

International lawyers are drafting a plan for a new offence of ecocide. The panel organising the initiative is chaired by Professor Philippe Sands QC of University College London and Florence Mumba, a former Internation Criminal Court judge.

Dr Joe Morrow QC, Lord Lyon, has been appointed Squadron Colonel of the 32nd Signal Regiment, 2nd (City of Dundee) Signal Squadron. His new role is to promote the work of the Signal Squadron and in particular its presence in the Dundee area.

Richard Pike has been promoted to partner at Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) in Edinburgh. Mr Pike is a dispute resolution private client lawyer, focusing on disputes about trusts and inheritance. He trained with the firm and qualified in 2008.

The UK government has drawn condemnation after refusing to order a public inquiry into the murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane, which campaigners say flies in the face of the rule of law. The government yesterday outlined its response to the UK Supreme Court's ruling in February 2019 that the s

A nine-year-old girl who died after an asthma attack may become the first person in the UK to be recognised as a victim of air pollution. A fresh inquest into the death of Ella Kissi-Debrah in 2013 began in London yesterday following last year's quashing of the original 2014 inquest ruling.

The Lawscot Foundation today launches its festive fundraising campaign, inviting everyone to play its game of Pass the Parcel – with a twist! In this virtual, social media version of Pass the Parcel, participants will make a donation to the Lawscot Foundation, the social mobility charity of th

A group of lawyers in Myanmar was given a first-hand account of how the Scottish criminal justice system has adapted to Covid-19. The Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Ronnie Renucci QC, spoke to more than 50 lawyers in a virtual event, part of the MyJustice programme which aims to improve acce

The Scottish Young Lawyers' Association (SYLA) is hosting an event this month aimed at those wishing to learn more about life as an in-house lawyer. Delegates will hear from an expert panel of in-house lawyers:

The DWF Foundation is set to reach a significant milestone this week as it expects to reach £500,000 in donations in the same week as it celebrates five years of charitable work. The DWF foundation currently supports registered charities with an impact in one or more of the following four pill