Faculty

Barney Ross has been elected Clerk of Faculty following a six-way contest. Mr Ross succeeds Richard Pugh KC, who has stepped down after three-and-a-half years in office.

A group of around 200 schoolchildren and teachers gathered at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on the weekend to take part in the Edinburgh Schools MiniTrials. The event was organised by a steering group under Lord Mulholland’s chairmanship and supported by a sponsorship from the Faculty of Advocates.

A Court of Session judgment has reaffirmed the principle of legal privilege between solicitors and their clients. A hearing at the Inner House of the Court of Session determined that the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) is not entitled to recover legally privileged information in a solici

Dean of Faculty, Roddy Dunlop KC, has retracted a “tin-eared” threat to move to England where he would pay less tax. The top rate of English income tax was cut to 40 per cent last week. In Scotland, the top rate is 46 per cent. It applies to those who earn more than £150,000 a year

Ruth Crawford QC writes on the measures the Faculty of Advocates has taken to protect lawyers' wellbeing beyond the pandemic. The past few years have been characterised by constant, ongoing change for everyone due to the pandemic. Life at the Faculty of Advocates has been no exception. With the stri

The Faculty of Advocates Criminal Bar Association (FACBA) has donated to several charities that support people struggling with homelessness, vulnerable youth and those battling cancer. FACBA member Kenneth Cloggie said: “The Scottish bar is keenly aware of the struggles being faced b

Clerk of Faculty, Richard Pugh, details how the Faculty of Advocates encourages those aspiring to a career at the bar. The Faculty of Advocates recently admitted 28 new members, the second-largest ever annual intake. This follows another large intake in 2020, when 24 new advocates were admitted.

Advocates Frank Burr and Roddy MacLeod are appearing in Flesh, a musical penned by Derek Batchelor QC, during this year's Fringe.

The Faculty of Advocates has joined other legal bodies in criticising the UK government's Bill of Rights. The government said that this has taken heed of the responses from various stakeholders, including those in Scotland. The Faculty said it regrets that there was little evidence of this.

Twenty-eight new members have been admitted to the Faculty of Advocates during calling ceremonies held this week. The ceremonies were split over two days to accommodate the number of intrants – the second largest group to date.

The Faculty of Advocates has launched a fresh probe into sexism after it was criticised in the wake of a report into a senior advocate. The move follows the Daily Record's report that Brian McConnachie QC had sent messages saying he would "sh*g" Sandy Brindley, the head of Rape Crisis Scotland, &ldq

Security holders exercising a standard security should be subject to a duty to conform to reasonable standards of commercial practice, says the Faculty of Advocates. The Faculty was responding to a Scottish Law Commission Discussion Paper on Heritable Securities: Default and Post Default, which soug

The closing date for the Faculty of Advocates’ scholarship programmes for 2023 is the end of April, so anyone keen to access funding to support them while devilling must apply soon. In addition to providing financial assistance, the scholarships are also aimed at promoting and encouraging dive

The Faculty of Advocates has again voiced its support for ending the tacit relocation of commercial leases in response to a consultation on the draft Leases (Automatic Continuation etc.) (Scotland) Bill. The doctrine of tacit relocation was the among issues raised by the Scottish Law Commission in i

The Faculty of Advocates has cautioned that amendments to a draft code of practice for continuing and welfare attorneys should be rendered more user friendly lest they discourage people from supporting vulnerable adults. The Faculty was responding to a Scottish government consultation on the terms o