Coronavirus

Advocate Niall McCluskey considers the plight of students in lockdown in university accommodation. Prior to the start of the academic year concern was raised in the media about the movement of large numbers of students attending universities. The coronavirus regulations include the power to impose r

It will take up to a decade to get the courts backlog back to pre-pandemic measures unless more measures are taken to increase or speed up court business, MSPs have warned. Holyrood's Justice Committee has called for a "basket of measures" to help clear the backlog exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandem

Commercial law firm Burness Paull LLP has reported a 14 per cent increase in profits to £25 million in its latest financial year, which includes almost five months of working in lockdown. In the financial year ending 31 July 2020, the firm posted an annual income of £60.5m, up three per

As we move past the six-month mark with Covid-19 and with further business restriction pending, SLN asked Douglas Mill, who in the last 12 years has consulted with over 130 firms throughout the country, how things were going for High Street solicitors and how he saw matters playing out. How is the p

Staff at Weightmans are to receive full pay again after the firm made cuts earlier this year, The Lawyer reports. Employees at the firm took, on average, a salary reduction of 11 per cent, which was to be reviewed at the end of this month. Last month, however, it reinstated full pay for staff for fi

The Scottish Young Lawyers' Association (SYLA) has created created a survey to understand how COVID-19 has affected young lawyers and their careers. The aim for the survey is that the responses will allow SYLA to identify ways to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 and shine a spotlight within the lega

Lawyers in Aberdeen have called for temporary courtrooms to be established to help tackle the increasing backlog of cases caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as sheriff and jury trials have still not resumed. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) recently announced plans to restart High

CMS has published its latest report in its General Counsel (GC) "Creating connections, bridging gaps" series, produced in partnership with the European Company Lawyers Association (ECLA). The new report considers how GCs can build strategies to develop and succeed as a GC, especially amid the c

Professor Peter Watson, solicitor advocate at PBW Law, has written to the Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC on behalf of two families who lost loved ones in the COVID-19 outbreak at Home Farm Care Home on Skye, requesting full consideration of whether a crime was committed by the operators of

The police and courts could gain the power to remove suspected domestic abusers from victims' homes under proposed legislation. Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf announced that the Scottish government's Domestic Abuse Bill will be considered "within weeks" and if passed would let police ban suspected a

Outstanding Sheriff Court summary trials have increased by 28 per to 17,818, the latest figures from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) show. The ninth statistical bulletin from the SCTS contains quarterly figures on activity in all High, Sheriff, Justice of the Peace and criminal

The Scottish Parliament’s Covid-19 Committee is set to take evidence on renewing the emergency legislation passed to deal with the pandemic. The legislation, the Coronavirus (Scotland) Acts, will expire on 30 September, unless the Parliament agrees to extend them.

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.

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service is asking all users to wear a face covering in public and communal areas of its buildings from 31 August. You should bring your own face covering if you can. Suitable face coverings can be provided if required.

Duncan Milne warns employers over claims arising from the pandemic. An increase in whistleblowing claims over the coming months is inevitable. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the furlough fraud reports are now sitting at around 8,000. This fi