Coronavirus

The UK government's reaction to the coronavirus pandemic should be investigated after the emergency has abated but any legal action brought against it will face "high hurdles", lawyers have told Scottish Legal News. Boris Johnson's government is widely believed to have made a U-turn on its

The Scottish Legal Aid Board has developed a four-point plan to address arrangements during the coronavirus outbreak. SLAB chief executive Colin Lancaster said: "People may be turning now more than ever to solicitors, advocates and advisors to help support their rights in difficult times.

Property law can seem boring and unimportant to some people at times. In the face of a crisis, property law often seems decidedly unimportant. People need to live somewhere, though, and opportunistic and/or thoughtless landlords might use a situation of crisis (or be completely or wilfully oblivious

No new jury trials or physical hearings will commence in the Crown Court, the Lord Chief Justice has announced in a statement intended to "provide some clarity for the coming few days". Lord Burnett of Maldon said: "My unequivocal position is that no jury trials or other physical hearings can take p

Anderson Strathern has set up a business hub, which includes advice, guidance and updates to help businesses with practical information during the coronavirus outbreak.  Anderson Strathern’s business resilience group is now part of the hub and ready to assist. The group can answer questio

The Royal Navy could be drafted in to help run prisons in England and Wales under contingency plans drawn up to deal with the coronavirus. The unprecedented option will be available to prison bosses if too many prison officers contract COVID-19 and have to stay at home, The Times reports.

All legal walks due to take place in the spring have been cancelled and will now take place in September and October this year. The Access to Justice Foundation runs the legal walks annually to help to facilitate access to justice for the poorest and most disadvantaged members of society.

Only essential business will go through the Scottish courts until further notice. The Crown Office has announced contingency arrangements for court business aimed at significantly reducing the demand on the justice system and reducing unnecessary social contact to slow the spread of COVID-19 as it i

The Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) has been asked to look urgently at additional steps to improve cashflow and support businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to practitioners, John Mulholland, president of the Law Society of Scotland, said the Law Society had asked SLAB to consider:

The Housing and Property Chamber has postponed scheduled hearings and case management discussions (CMDs) due to the coronavirus pandemic. Those with an ongoing case will be contacted in due course with this information.  The chamber will contact parties in order of hearing date and has asked pa

The Lord Advocate and Chief Constable of Police Scotland have set clear priorities for the investigation and prosecution of crime as measures to tackle the coronavirus outbreak come in to force. In a joint statement, James Wolffe QC and Iain Livingstone QPM stressed their commitment to keeping peopl

Shepherd and Wedderburn has established a COVID-19 advisory group, which draws relevant, specialist expertise from across the firm to support clients with informed, pragmatic legal advice on the unprecedented challenges posed by the global pandemic. The group comprises specialists who are leaders in

An international arbitration conference which had been due to take place in Edinburgh in May has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Congress of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA 2020) – the arbitration Olympics – was to have been hosted by the Sc

Owing to the current emergency, the Lord President and Lord Advocate have agreed to a programme of changes to criminal court business, which together with changes to civil court business, tribunal hearings and the work of the Office of the Public Guardian aim to provide a sustainable response during

While the current instability has not yet fully impacted the property market, it is only a question of time before it does so. It is impossible to predict at this stage how long the current instability will affect the financial and property markets in the short, medium and longer terms, writes Ken R