An expert group has published its final report following ten months of "independent oversight" into the implementation of fatal accident inquiry (FAI) recommendations relating to deaths in custody. The Ministerial Accountability Board (MAB) was established following Sheriff Collins' FAI into the dea
Appointments
See all articlesNeil Crockatt has joined Balfour and Manson's property team as a partner in Edinburgh. Mr Crockatt brings a wealth of conveyancing experience, having worked in the industry for over 30 years. He joins from Coulters, where he was partner and head of legal.
Harper Macleod has announced the appointment of partner Carole McAlpine‑Scott to its private client team. Ms McAlpine‑Scott brings more than 30 years of expertise across the full spectrum of private client work, with strengths in succession, inheritance and estate planning, trusts, asset protect
Pinsent Masons has completed its relocation to new offices at the Aurora development in Glasgow. The international law firm has taken possession of more than 31,000 sq ft of Grade A office space at 120 Bothwell Street in the city’s business district, which will accommodate around 260 lawyers a
MFMac has strengthened its position as Scotland’s most accredited employment law team, after two more of its lawyers were recognised as employment law specialists by the Law Society of Scotland. Senior associates Meghan Jenkins and Fiona Meek recently secured the accreditation, bringing the to
Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace has appointed Lindsay Anderson as an associate solicitor within the firm’s private client department. Ms Anderson brings significant experience in private client work, having advised clients across rural Aberdeenshire for many years. Qualifying as a solicit
A senior associate in Aberdein Considine LLP’s banking litigation team has achieved accreditation from the Law Society of Scotland as a debt and asset recovery specialist. Ahsan Mustafa works within the firm’s wider lender services practice group and acts for major UK banks, lenders and
Universities
See all articlesThe number of law students suspected of using AI to cheat has risen at several Scottish universities, an investigation by Scottish Legal News has found – with one expert warning that the figures are likely underreported. SLN made freedom of information requests of all Scottish universities tha
The University of Aberdeen Mooting Society will host the finals of the Main Faculty Moot on 19 March. This year’s competition will be judged by Michael D Anderson KC, a graduate of the university and an experienced criminal advocate who was called to the bar in 2006 and took silk in 2022. 
Scottish academics have contributed to a new collection celebrating women in legal history, launched at Queens’ College, Cambridge. Published by Bloomsbury, Celebrating Women in Legal History: Making and Shaping a Discipline champions the work of women in legal history and their contributions
A dispute between the University of St Andrews and its rector, Stella Maris, has been brought to a conclusion by Lord Keen of Elie KC. Ms Maris will resume her position on the University Court of the University of St Andrews after agreeing to provide an undertaking that she is "bound by collective r
The Aberdeen University Centre for Energy Law (AUCEL) held a seminar on contemporary developments in International Energy Law last month.
Legal Aid
See all articlesSolicitors who provide legal aid will receive a 13 per cent increase in fees from September this year. The fees hike is part of a wider package of support including also funding for up to 40 legal aid traineeship places and digital support to help firms purchase devices to assist trainees in their w
The Law Society of Scotland is seeking urgent clarification from the Scottish government on why legal aid has again been ignored in the final budget before this year’s Holyrood election. Finance Secretary Shona Robinson announced the 2026-27 budget in the Scottish Parliament on 13 January 2026
The Scottish government is pausing it’s proposed changes to legal aid for adults with legal incapacity (AWI) cases, following an intervention by Govan Law Centre. Last month, GLC wrote to the Holyrood's Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee to recommend rejection of a draft Scottish statut
The Law Society of Scotland has warned that proposed changes to legal aid fees for cases related to adults with incapacity (AWI) would further exacerbate the shortage of solicitors for such work. The warning is contained in a submission by the Law Society on potential changes to legal aid regulation
Laura Simpson and Christine McKellar of Govan Law Centre raise the alarm over proposed changes to legal aid for adults with incapacity in Scotland. It is no secret that Scotland’s legal aid system is in urgent need of reform. With the increase in legal aid deserts caused by an ever-diminishing
And Finally
See all articlesA woman who slapped googly eyes on a divisive sculpture has been convicted of marking graffiti and ordered to pay compensation. Amelia Vanderhorst, 20, filmed herself making the humorous additions to the Cast in Blue sculpture in the southern Australian city of Mount Gambier while high on MDMA and d
A hospital has launched legal proceedings to evict a patient who refuses to leave despite being discharged over five months ago. Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) in Florida alleges the woman "continues to occupy" an inpatient bed despite being discharged on 6 October 2025 following acute medica
A dramatic police chase ended in embarrassment after officers realised they intercepted one of their own bomb squad teams. The Indiana State Police bomb squad vehicle was responding to an emergency call when local police officers in the small town of Austin, Indiana blew its tyres and detained its d
A small French town has gone viral for its mayoral contest between Hittler and Zielinski. Voters in Arcis-sur-Aube, in north-eastern France, will decide Sunday whether to re-elect their mayor, Charles Hittler.
Afroman has won defamation proceedings brought against him by police officers whom he mocked in music videos after a raid on his home. The Because I Got High singer used his own home CCTV footage in videos for songs he released about the incident, such as Will You Help Me Repair My Door, Lemon Pound








