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The Electoral Commission should be given the power to initiate prosecutions at both national and local levels, a cross-party group of MPs has recommended. The proposal is one of 20 recommendations set out in a new report by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on electoral campaigning transparen

Scottish Labour has called on the Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, to "consider his position" as a result of severe delays within the fatal accident inquiry system. The Sunday National has reported that a mother has been told that she will face an “unbearable” nine-month wait for a toxico

Gillespie Macandrew completed new build plot sales worth £285 million in 2019, representing an increase of 60 per cent on previous annual sale value and representing over 10 per cent of all private new build house sales in Scotland. Scotland is undergoing a programme of new housebuilding with

European organisations have been fined €114 million (£97m) under the GDPR regime, DLA Piper has found. France, Germany and Austria top the rankings for the total value of GDPR fines imposed with just over €51m, €24.5 million and €18 million respectively.

The UK's refusal to allow the inhabitants of the Chagos Islands to return to their homeland is a crime against humanity, an eminent international lawyer speaking in Edinburgh has said. Philippe Sands QC criticised Britain's failure to abide by a judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) w

Members of the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee are set to visit new evidence-taking facilities as the Vulnerable Witnesses Act comes into force today. The new suite, which opened towards the end of last year, aims to provide a less daunting setting than a court for vulnerable witnesses

A career at the bar is becoming "less appealing, or even viable" for new entrants, according to a report by LexisNexis. The company's survey found that despite the fact that nearly three quarters of respondents said their practices had either remained stable or grown, compared to three years ag

A bank robber who hid his face with a pillowcase had to remove it mid-robbery when he realised he couldn't see through it. Matthew Davies, 47, forgot to make eye holes in the pillowcase he put over his head while robbing a bank in Dunfermline last year.

A plumber who injured his arm while playing football over 16 years ago has been awarded more than £540,000 in damages after a Scottish health board admitted liability over its “negligent diagnosis and treatment” of the injury. A judge in the Court of Session ruled that, h

MSPs on the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee are seeking views from the public, media organisations and publishers, internet firms and other experts on proposed changes to the law on defamation. The Justice Committee has been tasked with considering the Defamation and Malicious Publicat

Non-healthcare professionals will require a licence to undertake cosmetic procedures under proposals from the Scottish government. Currently, treatments such as lip enhancements are available at premises including hairdressers and pharmacies.

Vialex has appointed four new lawyers as it prepares for a year of expansion. The firm, which recently announced a strategic venture in London, has hired experienced corporate lawyer Emma Seddon as a senior legal adviser. Ms Seddon, from Aberdeen, joins Vialex from EDF Renewables where she work

International corporate law firm Rooney Nimmo has announced that Scott Nelson has joined the firm as a partner, based in its London and Edinburgh offices. Mr Nelson is an experienced corporate transactional lawyer who has spent his entire legal career focused on the representation of leading private

Judges will be kept out of politics under plans to reform judicial review, the Lord Chancellor has said. Robert Buckland QC MP said the judiciary needed protection after a series of cases saw political decision-making “contracted out” to judges whose independence ought to be preserved.

Samira Ahmed's high profile victory in her equal pay claim against the BBC should be sounding alarm bells for many employers who do not have a clear and transparent system for valuing jobs and setting pay, writes Sarah Gilzean. In its judgment issued on 10 January, the London Central Employment Trib