News

A Chinese citizen who claimed to be at risk of persecution in China because of his practise of the banned Falun Gong religion has lost his appeal against a decision by the Home Secretary to treat his further submissions as a fresh claim. Zuo Hui Xie raised a petition for judicial review of the decis

The Home Office has been roundly condemned by lawyers for attacking the integrity of the legal profession and undermining the rule of law after releasing a video accusing "activist lawyers" of delaying deportations. The video, which was posted on the Home Office's Twitter page but later removed, cla

New restrictions on social gatherings have come into force today and Police Scotland have been granted powers to enforce them. Under the new regulations, it is an offence to breach COVID-19 guidance by having a large house party indoors.

Fraser Tait has been appointed private client solicitor at Charles Wood & Son, Kirkcaldy, while Dionne Brady has completed her traineeship with the firm and has become a solicitor within its civil court department. Mr Tait, formerly of BTO in Edinburgh, brings considerable experience t

A young woman branded "naïve" for aspiring to a career in law, but who overcame every obstacle in her path to realise her dream, is now lending a helping hand to those following in her footsteps with the launch of online resource Legable. Lauren Bowie, 22, from Ayr in South Ayrshire, gradu

The UK government has announced that it will be introducing a new "world-leading" law to clean up the UK's supply chains and protect rainforests from illegal deforestation. The proposed legislation would prohibit larger UK businesses from using products grown on land that was deforested illegally.

The Saudi Human Rights Commission has announced that, following a royal decree, the sentences of all people convicted of childhood crimes will be reviewed. According to a new Royal Order, all authorities must suspend the application of the death penalty for those convicted while they were minors, pe

A new report seeks to address the erosion of public trust in the justice system's response to deaths that give rise to public concern. When a catastrophic event or systemic failure results in death or injury, the justice system must provide a framework to understand what happened and to prevent recu

A famous painting by Dutch Golden Age painter Frans Hals, valued at over £13 million, has been stolen for the third time in three decades. Two Laughing Boys with a Mug of Beer was stolen from a museum in Leerdam, near Utrecht in the Netherlands, earlier this week, The Guardian reports.

A teenager who was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment after committing an assault with a knife has had his sentence reduced by eight months on appeal.  The appellant, known as JB, argued that the original sentence of six years’ imprisonment, discounted to four years on account of

The Court of Session has awarded an interim payment of £600,000 to two Rangers FC administrators after the Crown admitted a "malicious" prosecution. David Whitehouse and Paul Clark were appointed as administrators of Rangers in February 2012 and the club was liquidated in October 2012, sh

A legal expert has warned against the Scottish government's plan to hand powers currently held by the EU to ministers after the Brexit transition period. Aileen McHarg, professor of public law and human rights at Durham University, has raised concerns over the proposals and recommends that powers sh

Professor Margaret Ross will retire from the University of Aberdeen at the end of this month after 28 years of service. Professor Ross graduated from the university in 1979 and has spent her career there in various capacities. She became a part-time tutor in 1980 while she was working in legal pract

The Faculty of Advocates' Laura Thomson has been named as junior counsel to the Sheku Bayoh public inquiry. Last week, it was announced that Angela Grahame QC had been appointed senior counsel to the inquiry, which will begin later this year, chaired by retired judge Lord Bracadale.

Lorna Jack, chief executive of Law Society of Scotland, is to join the Department for International Trade's new Trade Advisory Group. The Department for International Trade (DIT) has established 11 new trade advisory groups covering a range of key sectors. Each group will be made up of experts to ad