News

Morag Fraser has been appointed to the office of summary sheriff at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court. She completed her degree and diploma in legal practice at Glasgow University in 1986 and is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a family law specialist and family law mediator. 

The critical importance of the rule of law and the independence of the legal profession were among the key themes considered at the Law Society of Scotland’s Annual Conference. Law Society chief executive Diane McGiffen told conference attendees: “We want every Scottish solicitor to be a

Today at least 80 per cent of the case load of the High Court of Justiciary is sex crime. The Children’s Hearing system has seen a huge increase in child-on-child sexual abuse in recent years. Whether it is for downloading indecent images of children, rape, domestic violence, sexual assau

Scottish Lesbians has published its intervention submission ahead of the Supreme Court appeal case of For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers. The case, regarding the Scottish government’s definition of ‘women’ for the purposes of the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotlan

An untrained law student enjoyed the rare opportunity to conduct a 60-person orchestra following a social media appeal. Ella Eroniemi, 22, responded to a post from Finnish national broadcaster Yle seeking a member of the public with no experience of conducting to try conducting the Radio Symphony Or

The Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates have jointly intervened in relation to an important principle in Scottish criminal law that is central to a Supreme Court case. Three days of hearings were conducted in the Supreme Court between 21 and 23 of October, challenging two sexual off

CMS has announced the promotion of Laura West to partner in its Infrastructure, Construction and Energy Disputes (ICE Disputes) practice. Ms West is dual-qualified in Scots and English law and is a Law Society-accredited specialist in construction law. She teaches construction law to postgraduate st

Thorntons has secured a new three-year contract with City of Glasgow College, Scotland’s largest technical and professional skills education provider and the third largest of its kind in the UK. Thorntons has been providing legal advice to City of Glasgow College since 2016 and expanded its ro

Chinese government officials are reportedly cold-calling women to urge them to get pregnant. The bizarre scheme forms part of the Chinese government's efforts to reverse a decline in the country's birth rate, the South China Morning Post reports.

Clan Childlaw CEO Alison Reid has been awarded the Law Society of Scotland’s inaugural Legal Pioneer Award. The award has been created as part of the Law Society’s 75th anniversary celebrations and has been presented to individuals that have been recognised as offering significant contri

The Scottish Law Agents Society (SLAS) is inviting lawyers to complete a survey on the perceived fairness, transparency, and suitability of the existing legal complaints system in Scotland. Recently, SLAS noted that members of the legal profession have raised concerns and expressed dissatisfaction r

A sheriff has made no recommendations following the death of a prisoner that was caused by substance abuse. Anthony McCarthy died on 28 September 2020 at HMP Kilmarnock.

This week's de recenti judgment marks a significant change to the longstanding rules around corroboration in criminal cases that will likely have far-reaching consequences, the Law Society of Scotland has said. A bench of nine judges made the ruling on 30 October 2024 on an appeal from Lord Advocate

Some of the former partners of Coulters who retired in April 2021 and June 2022 have belatedly celebrated their retirement at the Royal Scots Club. Alastair Shepherd, Ross Mackay and Louise Williams between them had worked for Coulters and its parent firm, Henderson & Jackson WS and HBJ Gateley

The Scottish government's proposed pilot of juryless trials has been abandoned following years of opposition from the legal profession. Justice Secretary Angela Constance told MSPs that, having listened to the cross-party Criminal Justice Committee and a wide range of other views, a plan to enable a