News

Solicitors employed on the Scottish Legal Aid Board’s emergency helpline have backed strike action over changes to shift patterns, The Scotsman reports. Sixteen solicitors working on the Solicitor Contact Line voted for industrial action following complaints that management had imposed 12-hour

One of the world’s foremost experts in forensic investigation will deliver a public lecture at the University of Dundee later this month exploring how science and technology are used in criminal investigations. Dr Sheila Willis, former director general of Forensic Science Ireland, will deliver

The new interim chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), Dame Vera Baird, has described the body as “incompetent". Dame Vera, a former solicitor general and victims’ commissioner, criticised the watchdog’s handling of the Andrew Malkinson case, where it failed to refer

The International Bar Association (IBA) has condemned new sanctions against International Criminal Court judges by the US as an attack against the global rule of law and the independence of judges. IBA president Jaime Carey said: "Since its founding in 1947, the IBA has endeavoured to protect and ad

Child law solicitor Lauren Fowler has passed away.

First Minister John Swinney is to bring together voices from across Scotland to focus on actions that can help prevent youth violence. The summit will include contributions from the Justice and Education Secretaries, Ministers for Children and for Victims & Community Safety, as well as cross-par

The Law Society of Scotland and the Scottish Association of Law Centres have jointly written to a parliamentary committee examining civil legal aid provision in Scotland to emphasise the urgent need for an increase in legal aid fees. Both legal bodies had previously provided written and verbal evide

A trainee lawyer who was mocked and beaten by police following an anti-globalisation protest in Italy in 2001 suffered a violation of his rights, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. Andrea Cioffi was removed by police from a hospital where he was being treated following violent clashes bet

A man who coated pheasant carcasses in rat poison to bait and injure other legally protected wildlife has been ordered to carry out 135 hours of unpaid work. Clive Burgoyne, 38, of Forfar, carried out the crime as part of an ongoing feud with a local landowner over shooting rights. He hoped tha

Four men convicted of bribery and corrupt practices over the awarding of NHS contracts worth £6 million have been imprisoned for a total of 29 years. Alan Hush, 68, Adam Sharoudi, 41, Gavin Brown, 48, and Gavin Cox, 60, were convicted by a jury at the High Court in Glasgow following an investi

Harper Macleod has advised on the sale of The Golden Lion Hotel, one of Scotland’s oldest and most culturally significant hotels, located in the heart of Stirling.  The transaction was led by Paul Macdonald, a partner in Harper Macleod’s corporate team, who has extensive business su

A city's ban on yoga classes in public parks and beaches has been rubbished by a court. The US city of San Diego’s ban on yoga classes was ruled unconstitutional by a federal appeals court, which found the activity protected by the First Amendment.

The Scotsman has published a full obituary of Lord Ross, who passed away on April 26 this year. "Donald Ross held a succession of the highest offices in the Scottish legal system of which he was a proud and doughty champion. He was the youngest of three children of John Ross, a solicitor in Dundee.

David Cameron, the former prime minister, has joined DLA Piper as a consultant.  He will provide guidance on the various locations in which the firm operates, including on the issue of geopolitical risk.

A new bill aimed at tackling problems with Scotland’s 20-year-old freedom of information (FOI) regime has been welcomed. The Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland (CFOIS) expressed its support for Katy Clark MSP’s Freedom of Information Reform (Scotland) Bill, which proposes th