News

Herbert Kerrigan QC has suggested that proposals for non-jury trials in solemn cases be rejected. Last week the Scottish government had sought to pass legislation that would remove juries from solemn trials for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Irish criminal barristers are to receive legal aid payments for adjourned cases during the coronavirus lockdown and "refresher fees" when trials resume. The Department of Justice confirmed in response to representations from The Bar of Ireland that brief fees will be paid now in respect of defendant

In the first quarter of 2020, the volume of residential property sales in Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Borders fell by 9.2 per cent. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak and resultant social distancing measures, the decline in sales volume was concentrated in the last two weeks of March. The number

The independent regulator of social housing in Scotland has been taken to task by a Holyrood committee following allegations of bullying and improper governance reported by our sister publication, Scottish Housing News. MSPs have given the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) one month to respond t

Janet McIntyre and Gary Thomas summarise the details of emergency legislation introduced in Scotland to prevent the eviction of commercial tenants who are unable to pay their rent because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Irritancy is a remedy for landlords to terminate a lease early when tenants are in bre

A Scandinavian-style sanctuary house for children who have been victims or witnesses of crime is set to open in Scotland next year – the first of its kind in the UK. The Child’s House for Healing will be based on the Barnahus model, first developed in Iceland, and will provide a safe pla

MBM Commercial has provided a good example of networking on behalf of its clients in difficult times.

A Frenchman who attempted to walk across the Pyrénées into Spain to buy cheap cigarettes after being turned back from the border due to lockdown restrictions and who fell into a stream, got lost and had to call mountain rescue, has been fined.  The unnamed man was trying to t

Gordon Jackson QC is to resign as Dean of the Faculty of Advocates later this year. Mr Jackson had referred himself to the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) following the publication of footage in which he made comments about the trial of Alex Salmond, who was recently vindicated of variou

The Supreme Court has allowed an appeal by Barclays Bank and held that they were not vicariously liable for any sexual assaults committed by a doctor who performed medical examinations on their behalf. It had been previously held in the High Court in 2017 that the bank was vicariously liab

A criminologist has suggested that Scotland will face prison riots if inmates are not afforded any coronavirus protection. Twelve people died in riots in Italian jails last month after prisoners objected to restrictions on visits.

Neil Casey guides landlords through the emergency changes to housing legislation in Scotland. The Scottish Government has passed the Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill, which will now become law. These emergency provisions are due to expire on 30 September 2020, although ministers have the power to ex

Applications are being taken for Faculty of Advocates’ scholarships which can help ease financial tensions during the training period for the bar. Those hoping to begin devilling in 2021 are asked to submit applications by the end of this month – Thursday, 30 April.

A new process to report COVID-19 deaths is now in place. Health Protection Scotland (HPS) has worked with National Records of Scotland (NRS) to put the new procedure in place, which involves cross-checking records between HPS and NRS to identify individuals who have died and have a laboratory-confir

The Bar Council has urged the UK government to provide financial support to barristers' chambers during the coronavirus crisis. It has so far received 145 responses to a survey of 262 of the largest chambers.