News

The former husband of a woman who sought divorce on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour has succeeded in appealing the manner in which the matrimonial property was divided.  Allan Neill, the defender and appellant, who was not opposed to the granting of the divorce, argued that the sheriff ha

The Law Society of Scotland has welcomed proposals to clear the Covid-19 courts backlog and called for "urgent, full and frank discussions with all interested parties" to address the problem. Holyrood’s Justice Committee yesterday published a report setting out a “basket of measures&rdqu

The Lord President, Lord Carloway, has hailed the “remarkable” determination of the legal profession to maintain access to justice during the Covid-19 pandemic. In his address marking the Opening of the Legal Year, Lord Carloway said it seemed likely that the current remote systems in co

A senior lawyer has warned that it is "just a matter of time" until Covid-19 is transmitted in court buildings unless more preventive measures are taken. Stuart Murray, president of the Aberdeen Bar Association, told The Press and Journal that the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) is "fai

The Scottish government has called on MSPs to reject legislative consent for the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill, which it says will erode the powers of the Scottish Parliament. A legislative consent memorandum (LCM) lodged with Holyrood by Constitutional Relations Secretary Michael Russell says

Nearly 1,700 crimes were reported under Scotland's new domestic abuse laws in their first year in force, according to new figures. Recorded crime figures for 2019/20 show that 1,681 crimes were recorded under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, which was enacted on 1 April 2019.

Advocate Niall McCluskey considers the plight of students in lockdown in university accommodation. Prior to the start of the academic year concern was raised in the media about the movement of large numbers of students attending universities. The coronavirus regulations include the power to impose r

Victoria Leslie and Laila Kennedy discuss how business interruption claims are a vital step forward for firms who paid for enhanced business interruption insurance, but had their claims rejected. The Association of British Insurers has said that its members expect to pay £900 million in b

Lawyers in the Edinburgh office of Burges Salmon have advised on a major partnership to develop offshore wind projects in the Lithuanian Baltic Sea. The firm's corporate team advised Ocean Winds (OW), the offshore wind joint venture formed between EDPR and ENGIE, on its strategic partnership with Li

Reforming land rights and ownership will support Scotland's economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, the Scottish Land Commission has said. Setting out its three-year strategic plan, the public body said reform of land rights and ownership could encourage a more diverse and productive pattern

Mike Tyson paid out $8 million to a fan who he cracked on the jaw for requesting his autograph, the famous US boxer has said. Speaking on his podcast, Tyson said he fell into a habit of "hitting people because they're f***ing with me too much for autographs".

A woman who sought to undergo in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment using her late husband’s sperm has succeeded in obtaining an order allowing its use for that purpose despite his not signing the relevant forms.  The petitioner, SB, wished to pursue IVF as it was the most likely method

It will take up to a decade to get the courts backlog back to pre-pandemic measures unless more measures are taken to increase or speed up court business, MSPs have warned. Holyrood's Justice Committee has called for a "basket of measures" to help clear the backlog exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandem

Commercial law firm Burness Paull LLP has reported a 14 per cent increase in profits to £25 million in its latest financial year, which includes almost five months of working in lockdown. In the financial year ending 31 July 2020, the firm posted an annual income of £60.5m, up three per

Advocate John Campbell has joined the board of trustees of Berwickshire Housing Association (BHA). Mr Campbell, who lives in the Borders, has been an advocate since 1981 and qualified as a barrister in England and Wales in 1990. He is a member of the Faculty of Advocates and of Trinity Chambers