First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been cleared of breaching the ministerial code following an independent inquiry by James Hamilton, an Irish barrister and former director of public prosecutions. Mr Hamilton, the Scottish government's independent adviser on the ministerial code since 2013, began an
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Retired sheriff Kevin Drummond QC shares concerns arising from the redaction dispute that dominated the final days of the Holyrood committee on the handling of harassment complaints. As a lawyer I care not a whit what political conclusions our Parliament and its Committee of Inquiry reach, or have r
Baktosch Gillan interviews the current Lord Lyon, Dr Joe Morrow, about the role of his ancient office in 21st century Scotland. After a career at the forefront of the development of mental health law and practice in Scotland, Dr Joseph Morrow CBE, QC, LLD, is now on a mission to preserve Scotland&rs
Two lawyers have developed a hijab for Muslim advocates who struggle to find the right legal attire to wear in court. Karlia Lykourgou and Maryam Mir, barristers at Doughty Street Chambers, have developed a hijab for Muslim advocates who struggle to find the right legal attire to wear in court.
It has been announced that there is to be a consultation on the retention/abolition of the 'not proven' verdict. Some of those proposing its removal have prayed in support of their approach a statement by Sir Walter Scott that the verdict is a “bastard verdict”. Others have said that ret
Lord Woolman relates a case that deserves to be better known. Vote for your top three Session Cases here. Is any case more colourful than Steuart v Robertson (1875) 2R (HL) 80? It involves gallantry, dissipation, a disputed marriage, entailed estates, and a lengthy lawsuit.
Alastair K Shepherd reflects on the traineeship he began in 1981 as he retires this month, having spent four decades in the law. I am retiring from private practice with Coulters Legal LLP on 30 April 2021, forty years after I started my legal career as one of the first batch of trainees. We had bee
Advocate Tony Lenehan responds to yesterday's piece from academics on the 'not proven' debate. My article wasn’t intended to irk the professor and his academic colleagues. When he admits that the Scottish Jury Research evidence base isn’t perfect, in the largest part that is because Prof
Scullion LAW has launched its annual free will writing service in support of end of life charity, Marie Curie. Throughout the partnership, which has already seen 1,000 people leave a gift to the charity as a result of the free will writing scheme, almost £250,000 pledges have been made since 2
New law firm Esson & Aberdein has taken on two new recruits. Paralegal Shari O’Hare and Lynn Nesbitt, a qualified surveyor and estate agency specialist, have joined the firm.
Lindsays has expanded its private client team with the appointment of Leann Brown. Ms Brown, who will be based in Dundee, brings with her 12 years of experience of working across the full spectrum of private client work, wills and powers of attorney, setting up trusts, elder client law, th
Nominations are invited for the 2021 Law Society of Scotland In-house Rising Star award. The award, now in its ninth year, recognises the outstanding achievement of a newly qualified Scottish solicitor or trainee working in-house.
As the government continues to push the construction industry to move more of the building process off-site and into factories, Roddy Cormack explores a conundrum which must be solved if the industry is to thrive in this area – who owns what on a partially built project? The conundr
Former Lord Advocate Dame Elish Angiolini has been appointed as the new chair of Reprieve’s board of trustees. She succeeds Lord Wallace of Tankerness in the post.
Lord Ericht reflects on the significance of the cases that topped the Session Cases poll. In July 1930, a full bench of the High Court of Justiciary heard an appeal against conviction in relation to a series of sexual assaults against female employees in a “drapery establishment” at 186