News

A couple has been fined for an outing they undertook – to catch pokémon. Canadians Matthew Steeves and his wife spent the first moment they'd had together in months to steal away together for a game of Pokémon GO in the hopes of finding a Pikachu or two.

The Outer House of the Court of Session has refused to grant declarator to the effect that the Scottish Parliament should be able to legislate for a second referendum on Scottish independence without the consent of Westminster, calling the action “hypothetical, academic, and prematur

Simpson & Marwick has acquired Glasgow-based firm Alston Law part of its expansion across Scotland. Alston Law is best known for its lender services, in particular remortgages and debt and asset recovery, which will remain a distinct specialism.

A Scot who practises law in the US has gone to court to overturn an order by Donald Trump intended to protect US military personnel from prosecution. Steven Watt, a senior attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) human rights programme, is part of a landmark legal action against

Dear Editor I assume that the proposal to pardon witches is a serious one. No doubt, these women suffered injustice, but there have been earlier injustices which ought not to be overlooked.

A new independent body has been launched to help drive up standards for new-build homes and strengthen protections for buyers across the UK. Members of the New Homes Quality Board (NHQB) will oversee the introduction of a new industry code of practice in the months ahead, placing more responsib

Thomas Ross QC dissects the latest judgment in the fascinating EncroChat saga. In my last article on this topic I predicted widespread legal challenges to attempts by prosecutors to lead evidence obtained as part of the ‘Encro Hack’ – carried out by French police in May 2020. That

Elizabeth Bremner takes a look at what 2021 has in store for employment law. The pandemic dominated most aspects of our lives in 2020 and employment law was no exception. The introduction of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and its subsequent variations was undoubtedly the most talked abo

Almost one third of prosecutions made under emergency coronavirus laws have been brought incompetently, leading to hundreds of cases being dropped. New analysis by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) found that 359 of 1,252 charges last year were either withdrawn or quashed in court.

TLT has supported the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) with a successful campaign to create a new law that makes abusing a shop worker an aggravated offence in Scotland. TLT advised the SGF – who first introduced the private member’s bill on 10 October 2019 – on the wording

Deborah Allan takes stock of the steps taken in pursuit of LGBTQ+ equality and inclusivity.  2020 has, without doubt, been one of the most testing experiences many of us have faced in our lifetimes. Unfortunately, the voices of the marginalised are often drowned out at a time when they need to

Professor Philippe Sands QC will join Conor Gearty to discuss his life and career at a free online event early next month. The discussion with the award-winning author, academic and barrister is being hosted by The British Academy as part of its Leaders in SHAPE series.

A man who stole a pair of handcuffs more than 60 years ago has sheepishly returned them to the police. The 74-year-old grandfather returned the handcuffs to the Los Angeles Police Department with an apologetic letter and a $100 donation.

Two separate Crown appeals against what it considered unduly lenient sentences handed to two men convicted of dangerous driving charges have been rejected by the Appeal Court of the High Court of Justiciary. The appellants, Shaun Gatti and Stephen Jones, both pled guilty to the c

A legal case arguing that the Scottish Parliament should be able to pass a law to hold an independence referendum without the consent of the UK government has failed in the Court of Session. Declarator to this effect was sought by Martin James Keatings. He also argued that no amendment would need to