News

A judge has ruled that dozens of ducks can keep on quacking in spite of complaints from a neighbour. The fate of 60 ducks and geese living in an enclosure kept by retired farmer Dominique Douthe was momentarily up in the air.

Judges presiding over solemn cases have been reminded not to take over the role of “cross-examiner” of witnesses, particularly in trials involving allegations of serious sexual offending. The Criminal Appeal Court warned that judges who repeatedly intervene by questioning a wit

Two men found guilty of producing psychoactive substances on an industrial scale following the introduction of new legislation to tackle the rising use of so-called “legal highs” have had appeals against their convictions rejected. Scott McGaw was sentenced to five years’ impr

A whisky producer is being sued by an American firm which claims the Scottish company has infringed its trademark. A lawsuit brought against Highland Park claims the expression "bears a similar design and overall appearance" to its own labels, BBC Scotland reports.

The Scottish Parliament’s Rural Economy and Connectivity (REC) Committee has issued a public call for evidence on proposed legislation which would allow the continued operation of the European Union (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) during a post-Brexit transition period. The REC Committee

Family law expert Alasdair Loudon has joined Gilson Gray as a consultant. A former partner and head of family law at Turcan Connell, Mr Loudon has nearly 40 years of experience in the field.

Employment duo Ingrid McGhee and Steven Harte have joined Weightmans in Glasgow. Ms McGhee has a wealth of experience in the provision of legal services and was a partner at LexLeyton, where she was responsible for establishing the firm’s multi-national practice north of the border.

Mackinnons Solicitors LLP, with offices in Aberdeen, Cults and Aboyne, has announced the promotion of Angus Easton, Kirstin Ejsmont, Kim Harkness and Jane Merson to the position of senior associate and of Fiona Copp to that of senior solicitor. Partner Pat Gray said: “These

A new guide details the best practice on gender-neutral drafting for the legal profession. The publication has been prepared by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and the Government Legal Department.

A landmark case brought against three NHS trusts by a woman who was not told during her pregnancy that her father has Huntington's disease has begun in the High Court in London. The claimant, known only as "ABC", said she would have had an abortion if she knew at the time that her father has the con

A state prosecutor has been shot dead after a loaded shotgun went off in court. Addelaid Ferreira-Watt, 62, a senior barrister, was shot in the thigh and is believed to have died from blood loss in the freak incident on Monday at the regional court at Ixopo, 85 miles from Durban.

A man is suing Burger King on behalf of vegans and vegetarians after finding out its "0% beef" burger is cooked on the same grills as its beef counterpart. The fast food chain has been rolling out its plant-based "Impossible Burger" across Europe and the US in recent months.

A publishing company which sued a former employee for more than £100,000 after she fell victim to a “whaling fraud” has failed in a legal action to recover the funds. Peebles Media Group raised an action against its former credit controller Patricia Reilly, claiming she w

A parking ticket mistake by a council could see drivers claim almost £500,000 from it in refunds. Angus Council has failed in an appeal after it supplied phone and online payment methods on tickets but no postal address.

A new report produced for the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee critically analyses the Children (Scotland) Bill 2019. The report, written by Dr Lesley-Anne Barnes Macfarlane of Edinburgh Napier University, outlines the extent to which the proposed legislation, which is currently at stage