News

Hamish Lean looks at the potential amalgamation of Scotland's land dispute bodies. The Scottish government has launched a consultation about the possibility of amalgamating the Scottish Land Court and the Lands Tribunal in Scotland. The Scottish Land Court deals with crofting disputes and disputes b

New data recorded by Police Scotland shows an increase in sexual offences towards children over the past five years. The figures reveal that last year an average of 15 child sexual offences were recorded every day in Scotland. Across the UK there were 73,518 recorded offences in 2019/20. Where age a

Joyce Horsman is to take up the role of principal solicitor at Dundee North Law Centre at the end of this month as Peter Kinghorn retires. Ms Horsman will be joining from Fife Law Centre. She qualified as a solicitor in 2003 and has worked at the Scottish government, Shelter Scotland the Scottish Co

Amnesty International has warned that plans to deploy the Navy to prevent asylum seekers crossing the English Channel would be "unlawful, reckless and dangerous". Home Secretary Priti Patel has tasked Dan O'Mahoney, director of the joint maritime security centre and a former Royal Marine, with preve

Gilson Gray has revealed that in the last 12 months it has been involved in the restructuring, selling and refinancing of multiple portfolios, totalling in excess of 300 properties worth over £23 million. The firm, which took over Coulters Letting in 2019, has looked to help investors reapprai

Glasgow Caledonian University is to launch its first law journal, which will be a student-led publication featuring work from GCU students. It will also establish an annual Law and Common Good Lecture, featuring a keynote speech from a social justice lawyer. 

Government officials and politicians in Ukraine have reportedly been encouraged to pre-book "VIP cells" in the event of their arrest. Remand centres in over a dozen cities are now offering gift certificates for "luxury cells", which are valid for six months from purchase, the BBC reports.

A man who was convicted of historical lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour between 1983 and 1987 has had his appeal against conviction and sentence refused. James Penrice argued that the trial sheriff had misdirected the jury in relation to evidence led regarding another simila

Passengers from Belgium, Andorra and the Bahamas will be required to self-isolate at home or another specified address for 14 days on arrival in Scotland from tomorrow, following a significant increase in the number of cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in those countries. The decision has also been ma

HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland are assessing emergency criminal justice provisions used in response to the coronavirus pandemic. If you work in the criminal justice system and have experience of these provisions, researchers would like to h

Tom Nener highlights the importance of protecting your brand as criminals take advantage of the pandemic. The coronavirus crisis has provided a fertile platform for sophisticated counterfeiters, as highlighted in recent reports by cross-border law enforcement agencies Interpol and Europol.

Pre-tax profits at DAC Beachcroft – which has offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh – increased by seven per cent to £56 million in the 2019/20 financial year. Profit per member grew three per cent to around £590,000, maintaining the "above £500k" benchmark for the thir

The Open University is seeking practitioners' views on the Scottish criminal system. Lawyers are invited to complete a questionnaire which will investigate their attitudes to the three-verdict system, simple majority and 15-member jury.

Children, including those with Down's syndrome and autism, were left for hours in court cells, a custody watchdog has revealed in a new report. The Lay Observers (LO) said the treatment of young people was unacceptable and a “matter of embarrassment for the criminal justice system. LO comprise

The Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has issued a new policy briefing which details how COVID-19 has affected the right to adequate housing in Scotland. Part of a series of briefings highlighting areas of human rights concern during the pandemic, the document explores poverty and increasingly