News

The Scottish government is to extend a seven-day limit on unsuitable temporary accommodation to protect people at risk of homelessness. Under new legislation, anyone facing homelessness will spend no longer than a week in accommodation like bed and breakfasts.

Thorntons is celebrating the appointment of eight newly-qualified solicitors following a two-year traineeship. There will be four new faces in the Dundee office as Katy Williams joins the intellectual property team, Vicki Alexander joins commercial property, Katie Fulton joins the family law team an

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s banking and finance team has reported another strong year for deals, with the value of transactions rising by 10 per cent (£13.4 billion) in the 2019 financial year to 30 April. The team completed 167 deals with a combined value of £145.4bn, up from 162 de

Ian Moir and Company has undergone a rebrand to recognise the work of partner Paul Sweeney. The firm, now known as Moir and Sweeney Litigation, offers a full range of services in criminal defence, family law, proceeds of crime and regulatory work.

Rooney Nimmo has announced the appointment of Agne Zasinaite. Ms Zasinaite, who obtained her LLB from Dundee University and the diploma from Strathclyde University, joined the team as a trainee solicitor in February 2019.

The Bar Council has partnered with a Silicon Valley company to create an app for barristers to report bullying and sexual harassment. Talk to Spot will be rolled out this autumn and follows reports this year of widespread inappropriate behaviour at the bar.

Three solicitors from Shoosmiths' office in Edinburgh swapped their desks for trainers on Friday when they headed to picturesque Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries and Galloway to participate in the annual Buccleuch Property Challenge. The event this year raised funds for the Seaman School, a charity com

Scotland’s first black professor, a Windrush generation Jamaican who grew up in the racist Britain of the fifties and sixties, has told an audience of lawyers and other professionals in Edinburgh that they must have a "sense of belonging" in order to succeed. Sir Geoff Palmer, an eminent brewi

A city is to begin fining people for failing to weed the pavement outside their homes. Sandy Evrard, mayor of Belgium's smallest city, Mesen, has sent its citizens a letter telling them they face a €125 fine (£112) if they avoid weeding, collecting litter or picking up dog mess, VRT repor

A below inflationary rise in the cost of practising as a Scottish solicitor, has been agreed by solicitors at a special general meeting. Members voted in the majority to adopt the proposed rise of £10 in the 2019/20 practising certificate (PC) subscription to £575, put forward by the Law

A couple whose marriage was annulled by the Greek courts because the husband had previously been married to the wife's sister suffered a violation of their article 12 rights, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled. Applicants Georgios Theodorou and Sophia Tsotsorou married in 2005, fou

A draft guideline on sentencing has been hailed by the Faculty of Advocates as “concise and easy to understand” and a benefit to the public. The sentencing process has been prepared by the Scottish Sentencing Council and aims to set out the various steps taken by judges in making a sente

Scottish courts are dealing with increasing levels of serious crime while appeals have declined by 18 per cent since 2014/15, new figures show. The first-quarter figures for 2019-20 reveal a six per cent increase in business at the High Court and a four per cent rise in Sheriff Court solemn and

Lindsay Darroch, one of Scotland’s most respected property lawyers, has joined Aberdein Considine to lead its expansion across the Tayside region. Mr Darroch has taken up a new role as partner with the firm, with responsibility for the firm’s existing Tayside office and its expansion int

Shoosmiths has confirmed the opening of a Glasgow hub, building on the success of its Edinburgh office. Barry McKeown, who recently joined Shoosmiths real estate team as a partner, is responsible for further developing the firm’s presence in the west of Scotland.