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Succession planning is never an easy topic for business owners. Passing on an independent or family run business as a going concern will be one of the first priorities when looking to retire or move to a different role within the business, writes Bruce Farquhar. Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) an

Amy Jones, associate at Thorntons Solicitors in Dundee, has received an employment law specialist accreditation from the Law Society of Scotland, meaning two-thirds of Thorntons’ employment law team are now recognised as specialists. Ms Jones advises clients in all areas of employment and disc

Hollywood has a tendency to turn divorce lawyers into compelling villains. Fiona Rasmusen looks into depictions of divorce and reveals an alternative process that could stem misery for Scottish families. Anybody who has watched the recent movie, Marriage Story could be forgiven for being put of

Family hearings at the Court of Appeal will be live-streamed under a joint initiative by the judiciary and UK government to boost transparency in the justice system. A statutory instrument laid in Parliament will pave the way for the project, following the success of a pilot to live-stream civil cas

Two midwives who were denied employment in Sweden because of their refusal to participate in abortions have had their application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) declared inadmissible. Ellinor Grimmark and Linda Steen, who were represented by Scandinavian Human Rights Lawyers, wer

The trial of a former British soldier accused of the attempted murder of a 27-year-old man in 1974 could proceed via Skype because of the coronavirus outbreak. Lawyers for Dennis Hutchings, 79, told Belfast Crown Court on Friday that their client has a chest infection and was advised by doctors to s

The European Young Bar Association's conference that was due to be held in Glasgow next month has been cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, the hosts have announced. The Scottish Young Lawyers' Association said in a statement: "In light of the recent COVID-19 outbreak in Europe and glo

Spanish MPs have blocked an investigation into the financial dealings of former king Juan Carlos, who abdicated in summer 2014. Left-wing and nationalist MPs called for a formal investigation after a Swiss newspaper report alleged he had received $100 million from the late Saudi ruler King Abdullah,

Caroline Loudon and Piers Warne highlight issues premises licence holders should consider as the spread of COVID-19 continues. Supplier deliveries

A homeowner who was ordered to reduce the height of rows of trees along a boundary wall within the grounds of his property after his neighbours complained that they were overshadowing their garden has lost a legal challenge against a decision. Brian Rizza was issued with a “High Hedge Not

An outgoing Supreme Court justice has issued two "caveats" to "anyone" thinking of politicising judicial appointments to the UK's highest court – namely that the court deals with very few political cases and that observers often "get things wrong". At his valedictory ceremony yesterday, Lord C

Police Scotland is preparing plans to deal with 300 arrests per day at the COP26 conference even though security costs have been slashed to £180 million, The Herald reports. Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins told MSPs at Holyrood that the singe force is in talks with the Crown Office o

Online gambling business Betway is to pay £11.6 million for a series of social responsibility and money laundering failings linked to dealings with seven of its high spending customers. In one instance, the operator failed to carry out source of funds checks on a ‘VIP’ customer who

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has welcomed the passing of the Scottish Biometrics Commissioner Act at Holyrood. This legislation will create a new Biometrics Commissioner to oversee the acquisition, retention, use and destruction of biometric data by police in Scotland.

The Law Society of Scotland's LexFactor event will be rescheduled as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. The event, which was meant to take place in Edinburgh yesterday, would have seen some of Scotland’s best-known law firms take to the stage to compete for the first ever LexFactor trophy i