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A new report argues that an unexpected interpretation of the Scotland Act by the Supreme Court has caused confusion over how laws are made in the UK’s devolved parliaments. The report argues the court’s reading of Section 28(7) of the Act has made it harder for devolved governments to pa
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Gillespie Macandrew LLP has appointed Gavin Merchant as its new CEO, with effect from 1 March. Mr Merchant succeeds Robert Graham-Campbell, who retires after eight years in the role. Having studied law at the University of Edinburgh and subsequently qualified as a Chartered Accountant, Mr Merchant b
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Scullion LAW has announced two appointments. Scott Smith has been promoted from administrator to trainee solicitor, while Ailidh Ballantyne has been appointed executive director alongside her existing role leading the wills, powers of attorney and bereavement team.
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Aberdein Considine has appointed Stewart Gordon as a partner in the firm’s Edinburgh office. Mr Gordon joins the firm from Addleshaw Goddard, where he was a managing associate in the infrastructure, projects and energy team and brings more than 10 years’ experience in corporate and M&
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Raeburn Christie Clark & Wallace has welcomed Amy Young to the firm’s commercial property team. Ms Young brings a broad range of experience in the commercial property sector, including advising on the sale, purchase and leasing of petrol filling stations, acting for well-known supermarket
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Dallas McMillan has recently added Natalia Rogolska and Jennifer Kerr to its private client team, taking the total number of fee earners in the team to seven. The team covers all aspects of private client work for clients throughout Scotland. Managing partner David McElroy said: “Everyone is d
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Anderson Strathern has announced the appointment of Carole Tomlinson as its new chair as the firm celebrates its 325th year in business in Scotland. Ms Tomlinson will take up the role from 1 April, succeeding Fraser Geddes following the end of his three-year term. She is a dual-qualified solicitor i
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GCU Law academics Dr Andrew Tickell and Seonaid Stevenson-McCabe have been nominated for a research prize for leading a successful campaign to secure lifelong anonymity for victims of sexual offences in Scotland. The Glasgow Caledonian University lecturers have been shortlisted for the Socio-Legal S
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The Committee of Heads of Scottish Law Schools responds to an article in Scottish Legal News last year on the use of AI in their institutions. In early December 2025, Corsino San Miguel wrote an article for Scottish Legal News in which, drawing on selected examples from law firms and certain law sch
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The Scottish Universities Law Institutes and the Edinburgh Centre for Private Law are delighted to invite you to join us to celebrate the launch of the second edition of Personal Bar by Professors Elspeth Reid and John Blackie, hosted by the Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh. When published in 2006,
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New research from Abertay University and UHI Perth has uncovered the key factors driving repeat adult missing incidents and warns that weak or inconsistent follow‑up support is leaving vulnerable people at continued risk. Published in the Psychology, Crime & Law journal, the new study offers o
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‘Inducing Intimacy: Deception, Consent and the Law’, by Professor Chloë Kennedy of Edinburgh Law School, has been shortlisted for the Socio-Legal Theory and History Prize by the Socio-Legal Studies Association (SLSA). The prize recognises outstanding contributions to socio-legal the
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Solicitors 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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An athlete who defrauded a teammate has now also beaten her victim to a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. Julia Simon came first in the women's 15km biathlon – which combines skiing and rifle shooting. Her victim and teammate, Justine Braisaz-Bouchet, came in 80th place.
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In a fashion faux pas for the books, a UK government minister turned up to a red squirrel conservation conference wearing a dress decorated with pictures of grey squirrels. Baroness Hayman of Ullock, the parliamentary under-secretary of state for biosecurity, borders and animals, has been widely der
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A Russian court has for the first time convicted a person for simply liking videos on YouTube. A fine of 30,000 rubles (around £285) was imposed on 72-year-old Yasily Yovdy for showing his "approval in the form of likes" under videos related to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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A fire-juggling unicyclist who performed in the middle of a busy intersection has impressed police, who said his act "was both quite good and quite illegal". Drone footage shared on Facebook by Commerce City Police Department, located in the US state of Colorado, shows the skilled performer entertai
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Scientists have been told they cannot describe the sexual reproduction of snails and worms under Russia's "LGBT propaganda" laws. Viktor Kovylin, editor of Russian scientific journal Batrachospermum, said the launch of an upcoming book on the sexual life of animals has been complicated followin
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