News

The Scottish government is consulting on regulations to bring into force Part 5 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, the right to buy land to further sustainable development. Part 5 of the 2016 Act creates a process by which local, place-based communities can seek to acquire a righ

A senior Scottish police officer has called for an overhaul of the UK's drugs regime. Steve Johnson, an assistant chief constable, said the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was a relic “ripe for reform” as he backed the use of safe injecting rooms, The Times reports.

TLT has further grown its UK-wide banking and finance team with the appointment of Catharine MacDonald, who joins from Ashurst as legal director in Glasgow. Ms MacDonald will work alongside banking and finance partner Douglas Gourlay, who joined TLT in June 2018 as part of an ongoing expansion in Sc

Edinburgh is still holding its own as one of Europe’s most influential financial services hubs despite ongoing Brexit uncertainty according to an expert in the sector.The first six months of 2019 has seen strong levels of activity in financial services, with a range of deals taking place in th

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has reported on its latest audit of the Faculty of Advocates conduct complaints handling processes. The report made six recommendations.  SLCC oversight manager Alison Marron said: “This latest audit has demonstrated the benefit of the SLCC&

Registers of Scotland (RoS) has made two new appointments to its board. Andrew Miller and Andrew Harvey joined the board of non-executive directors this week and will remain until 31 July 2022.

Two new judicial members, Lady Carmichael and Sheriff George Way, have been appointed to the Scottish Civil Justice Council. Their appointments follow a membership review, which was carried out after the tenure period for judicial members expired in May 2019.

Lindsay Kirkwood, a solicitor at Miller Hendry, has won a coveted award in the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Worldwide Excellence Awards, which recognise the highest achievements in STEP qualifications globally. Currently working towards her STEP Diploma in Trusts and Estates (Sco

A Jewish housing association that fended off a discrimination challenge earlier this year has prevailed again after the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court's judgment. Agudas Israel Housing Association (AIHA), which provides accommodation exclusively for Jewish Orthodox families, defeated an

Arrests for eel-smuggling have rocketed by 50 per cent in Europe following a concerted effort by enforcement agencies. Eels are highly sought after in China and elsewhere in East Asia and about 350 million are trafficked out of the EU every year.

A Scots lawyer who delayed administering the estate of a deceased client of his firm after having failed to make proper attempts to contact the beneficiary has been fined £5,000. Gary Pirrie, 50, was found guilty of “professional misconduct” by the Scottish Solicitors’ D

The Inverness branch of law firm Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP (WJM) has acquired the practice of Calum I Duncan Corporate Lawyers in the city. The move comes as Calum Duncan announces his retirement – and while his office closed on 30 June, WJM will continue to provide legal services t

Five members of the Scottish Civil Justice Council have been reappointed for three-year terms. The judicial members are Lord Boyd of Duncansby, Sheriff Principal Ian R Abercrombie QC, the solicitor member is Joel Conn and the members appointed by the Lord President are Brandon Malone and Employment

A formal complaint has been filed with the European Commission against the UK for allegedly flouting the EU’s regulation on data protection (GDPR) by including a broad immigration control exemption in its new Data Protection Act.  The Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented

Greater use of mediation in Scotland has been recommended in a new report. The Expert Group on Mediation in Civil Justice in Scotland's report proposes a coordinated strategy for ‘normalising’ the use of mediation in the civil justice system in Scotland.