Faculty Of Advocates

An updated volume of the Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia, edited by a member of the Faculty of Advocates, has been published. In the Health and Safety at Work volume, Dominic Scullion describes recent statutory developments and examines recent case law from across the UK.

This is National Pro Bono Week which provides a useful opportunity to think about when and how lawyers provide legal services to those in need. The process of going through a legal dispute, whether that is civil or criminal, is a stressful and complex one for most people even under the best of circu

The Faculty of Advocates' Free Legal Services Unit is involved in online events this week to promote and celebrate pro bono work. Pro Bono Week is a salute to lawyers across the UK, like those in the FLSU, who are unstinting and selfless in their drive to open access to justice.

Concerns have been raised by the Faculty of Advocates about a safety omission in plans for automated vehicles on motorways. Cars fitted with an Automated Lane Keeping System (ALKS) could be controlled by computer for extended periods in slow-moving motorway traffic, allowing, for the first time, mot

Possible diluting of the judicial review court process, by which a check can be kept on the legality of government decision-making, has been condemned by the Faculty of Advocates. In evidence to a review of the procedure, the Faculty described as “chilling” any suggestion that some decis

Enhanced rights for children will come at a cost, and the Scottish government’s estimate of £2 million is unrealistic, the Faculty of Advocates has suggested. Ministers have drafted a bill and accompanying financial memorandum to incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of

Members and staff, and friends of the Faculty of Advocates are being asked to make an extra special effort with this year’s Christmas collection to bring desperately needed cheer to vulnerable families. The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the circumstances of many families, who feared that the

A proposed amalgamation of the Scottish Land Court and the Lands Tribunal for Scotland has been rejected by the Faculty of Advocates. In a submission to ministers, the Faculty said it was concerned that a merger could worsen delays already experienced because of the workload of the two bodies.

A member of the Faculty of Advocates is helping to put the scourge of human trafficking and modern slavery “In Plain Sight”. Maryam Labaki, advocate, has recorded a vlog which will be used by the charity, Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland (SOHTIS), as part of a campaign in the l

Lawyers have voiced their opposition to any entrenchment of remote justice following comments from the Lord President that Scotland's legal system will not return to the status quo. Since the lockdown in March, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has developed new digital court inf

The Dean of Faculty has made a personal plea to the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary: stop denigrating the legal profession. Mr Dunlop has written to Boris Johnson and Priti Patel following speeches in recent days in which references were made to “lefty human rights lawyers and other do-g

Fourteen devils have been welcomed by the Faculty of Advocates to a greatly-adapted training programme.

Sheriff Court jury trials delayed as a result of Covid-19 are set to resume in remote jury centres across Scotland following new government funding. The Scottish government has provided £6.5 million to enable the new remote jury centres to deliver capacity for 18 jury trial courts to operate.

A planned redress scheme for survivors of historical child abuse in care needs to be redrafted to remove an “inherently unfair” restriction, the Faculty of Advocates has suggested. Under the current blueprint, applicants to the scheme must sign a waiver abandoning civil proceedings, and

The Lord President, Lord Carloway, has hailed the “remarkable” determination of the legal profession to maintain access to justice during the Covid-19 pandemic. In his address marking the Opening of the Legal Year, Lord Carloway said it seemed likely that the current remote systems in co