Arnot Manderson Advocates has welcomed Sarah Loosemore, Gareth Reid, Thomas Mulhall, Megan Davidson and Jonathan Deans to the stable following their admission to the Faculty of Advocates in calling ceremonies held over the course of two days in the Reading Room of the Advocates Library. This follows
Appointments
See all articlesThe Lord President has appointed Sheriff Adrian Cottam as the next deputy director of the Judicial Institute for Scotland. Sheriff Cottam will take up the post on 1 September 2022 for a period of three years. Sheriff Cottam is a graduate of Dundee University. He joined the Crown Office and Procurato
Three new advocates have been received into the ranks of Optimum Advocates. After the rigour of the examinations and practical training, the stable has welcomed James McCrone, Lynsey Morgan and Alistair Sloan.
Westwater Advocates welcomed Duncan Milne and Michael A S Briggs to the stable today after they called to the bar. Prior to calling, Mr Milne was a solicitor with Blackadders Solicitors, specialising in employment law. During his devilling year he gained valuable experience in commercial and profess
Black Chambers has welcomed Colin Neilson to the stable after he called to the bar. Mr Neilson brings a wealth of experience, having worked as a procurator fiscal depute in Aberdeen between 2013 and 2021, and prior to that as a criminal defence solicitor in Glasgow.
Compass Chambers has welcomed Mark Nicholson and Iain Buchanan to Compass after both called to the bar today. Mr Nicholson was a solicitor for 14 years at a large personal injury firm before calling. He has considerable experience in personal injury work including road traffic accidents, occupier&rs
Themis Advocates has welcomed its newest members David James, Iain Halliday, Chris Stephen and Jordanna Blockley, after they were admitted to the Faculty of Advocates. Mr James joins Themis with vast experience in employment law having conducted case management hearings to multi-week evidential hear
Legal Aid
See all articlesCriminal law barristers have overwhelmingly voted to strike as part of their legal aid dispute with the UK government. Following a ballot of 2,500 members, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) said it would pursue "the highest form of escalation", consisting of "days of action combined with both no re
The Scottish government has been sharply criticised over a "lack of engagement" with solicitors as the criminal justice system teeters on the brink of collapse. The Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA), which was formed in 2021 to represent and promote the interests of criminal defence solicit
Responding to the Scottish government’s Resource Spending Review announced last week, the Law Society of Scotland has criticised the freezing of justice budgets until 2027, saying that the government’s commitment to the recovery of the courts post-pandemic requires investment which is no
Thorntons partner Murray Etherington has vowed to fight to protect legal aid across Scotland. He said he will also focus on the Law Society’s critical role in regulating the profession following the Scottish government’s proposals to overhaul the country’s legal system.
Criminal solicitors in London are to refuse low-paid cases this week in protest at legal aid rates. More than 100 solicitors have voted to stop representing people accused of assaults and burglaries on medical workers from tomorrow.
Ukraine
See all articlesTom Stocker, partner and sanctions expert at Pinsent Masons, discusses the implications for businesses that comply with sanctions on Russian trade. Despite successive rounds of UK, EU and US sanctions ratcheting up the pressure on Putin’s government and a further round of sanctions being immin
A Russian solider has become the first member of the country's military to face a trial for alleged war crimes committed in Ukraine. Sergeant Vadim Shyshimarin, 21, appeared in court in Kyiv on Friday accused of killing an unarmed civilian.
The Russian authorities must immediately end their assault on academic freedom and the right to freedom of expression, Amnesty International said today as a campaign to purge schools and universities of dissenting opinions about the aggression against Ukraine escalates. Bruce Millar, Amnesty Interna
Lawyers are to run the distance from Edinburgh to Kyiv this month in aid of Ukraine. David Duncan and Douglas McConnell from Duncan & McConnell Solicitors are among a team running 2698 km between 1 May and 31 May, which equates to 208km/130miles each.
The High Court in London has adjourned a $4.2 billion fraud trial involving a Ukrainian state-owned bank and several Ukrainian defendants on the basis that the defendants cannot properly prepare in light of Russia's invasion of their country. The case was brought by PrivatBank, the largest commercia
And Finally
See all articlesA castle near Helensburgh which, for 25 years, has been at the centre of a protracted legal battle over a £230 debt has been put up for sale for nearly £1.3 million. Knockderry Castle's former owner, Marian van Overwaele, was made bankrupt in 2000 after her repeated refusals to pay the &
Greece’s state TV has been criticised for a segment showing viewers how to steal gasoline from cars as fuel prices rise sharply. “It’s not something terribly complicated … you don’t even need a special tube, even a hose for balconies will do,” station reporter Co
The Google employee who was fired for claiming that the company's AI had become sentient has now said it has hired a lawyer. Blake Lemoine was suspended after telling the media that the tech giant's new AI, LaMDA, had achieved a breakthrough in consciousness.
A new tax on table football has sparked an outcry from beach café owners in Italy. The country's tax authority has reclassified table football as a form of gambling, requiring café owners to pay for permits or face €4,000 fines, Italy24 News English reports.
A trainee police officer who drew a red line on his Covid test to get time off work breached police standards, a tribunal has ruled. Ahmed Anwari used a red pen to manually alter his lateral flow test result before sending a photograph to Lancashire Constabulary.