News

The Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Gordon Jackson QC, has stepped down after four years in the post. Mr Jackson was elected Dean – the first Dean from the criminal branch of the Faculty – in June 2016, to succeed James Wolffe QC, who had been appointed Lord Advocate. Mr Jackson had be

Morton Fraser has announced 17 new solicitor promotions. The appointments, effective from 1 July, cover the following practice areas: agricultural and rural, banking and finance, commercial property, construction, succession and tax planning, employment and litigation. Forming part of Mort

The Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee has today announced its unanimous support for the general principles of the Protection of Workers Bill after it published its stage one report on the bill. The bill, which seeks to increase protection for retail workers, was introduced by Daniel Johnson MS

Lorna Brown, a solicitor in Shepherd and Wedderburn’s private client team, has received an Excellence Award from the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) after achieving the highest mark in Scotland to for the Advanced Certificate in Wills and Executries. Gillian Campbell, Shepherd

Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive of the Scottish Arbitration Centre, has been appointed to the International Bar Association Public Law Committee as its European liaison officer. The IBA is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, with a membership of 80,000 lawyers involvin

Tech companies operating in the renewable energy sector could cause decades of damage to their market position if they fail to secure their IP rights now, an expert has warned. Patent attorney Daniel Sizer, a senior associate at Marks & Clerk, said the coronavirus pandemic has put huge financial

TLT has agreed an alliance with Dutch firm Holla. TLT and Holla have a long history working together to support clients on a range of matters including complex disputes, employment, IP and corporate finance/M&A.

A judge instructed lawyers in an attempted murder trial to "be nice" to one of the jurors – because she's his wife. Judge Thomas Ensor's wife was allowed to remain on the jury for the trial of Gary Val Richardson in Colorado, The Times reports.

The prospective purchaser of a heritage centre in South Lanarkshire has lost an appeal against the rejection of their breach of contract claim. Shine Properties Ltd contracted with the Biggar Museum Trust to purchase the property, a former church, in 2016. The sale never went through,

The UK government should act immediately to deal with a "pandemic of misinformation" that poses an existential threat to our democracy and way of life, according to a report of the Lords' Committee on Democracy and Digital Technologies. The committee said online platforms are not "inherently ungover

The Scottish housing market is set to open today as the country enters phase two of the Scottish government’s route map out of the coronavirus crisis. Cameron Ewer, head of Savills Residential in Scotland said it was important to note that "sales activity hasn’t stood still during lockdo

The public inquiry into the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow and the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh will begin this August. Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has confirmed that the inquiry, which will be chaired by

Axiom Advocates has welcomed two new members – Victoria Arnott and Neale Tosh. Ms Arnott calls after gaining considerable experience as a solicitor in private practice. She was the 2019-2020 Faculty Scholar (joint). Her principal areas of practice are in professional negligence, professional d

Arnot Manderson Advocates has welcomed Jonathan Murphy and Fergus Whyte to the stable following their admission to the Faculty of Advocates in another historic but socially distant calling ceremony held in Parliament Hall. Mr Murphy calls to the bar having previously worked at Gildeas Solicitors in

More employees will become owners of the companies they work for as firms seek to ensure greater resilience in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, according to Lindsays' Douglas Roberts. Mr Roberts has advised on more than 10 employee ownership (EO) deals which have been completed in the past f