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A bill aiming to strengthen local government in Scotland through the incorporation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government into Scots law is due to be scrutinised by a Holyrood committee. The Charter, which was created in 1985 by the Council of Europe and ratified by the UK in 1997, sets ou

There is a real risk of unintended consequences from this noble attempt to provide greater clarity, transparency and consistency in hate crime law, writes Fred Mackintosh QC of Terra Firma Chambers. The Justice Committee’s call for views on the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill close

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the most senior liberal judge on the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), has said she will not retire despite undergoing chemotherapy for a recurrence of cancer. In a statement, the 87-year-old judge, who has previously been treated for cancer on a number of occasions,

A recently discovered handwritten copy of Irish revolutionary and barrister Wolfe Tone's famous 1798 speech from the dock is set to be auctioned for up to €70,000 (around £63,400). The written copy of the speech, delivered by Tone before he was sentenced to death for his role in the Irish

A man sawed his neighbour's garage in half following a dispute over the boundary line between the two properties. Construction worker Gabriel Brawn used a reciprocating saw to destroy half of the structure after a land surveyor confirmed that the garage straddled the boundary line between the two ho

A Polish national who made a return order for his young child under the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention has had his application remitted for rehearing following an appeal by the child’s mother. The child, M, had been residing with his mother, another Polish national, in England, wit

The Queen has appointed Jane Margaret MacLeod of Jane Macleod Solicitors as Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for Argyll and Bute in succession to Patrick Stewart CVO MBE, who is due to retire on 25 July. Mrs MacLeod currently holds the office of Vice Lord-Lieutenant and is a leading mem

Universities have agreed to put an end to grade inflation and to give students qualifications that better reflection their academic ability. The pledge should do away with practices such as ignoring grades from core or compulsory courses when calculating the final degree classification, as is done o

A senior member of the criminal bar is to help explore changes in the legal landscape and challenges raised by COVID-19. Shelagh McCall QC, convener of the Faculty of Advocates’ Human Rights and Rule of Law Committee, will take part in a special online conference organised by the Law Society o

To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever-increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline — training — is about.

Blackadders has announced the appointment of Peter Duff as chairman. Mr Duff has been a partner in the firm's Glasgow office since it acquired the Morisons LLP Glasgow business in 2019. He is an experienced business lawyer with specific expertise in corporate and commercial law, and his role will fo

Uber drivers have launched a legal case in the Netherlands to force the release of the computer algorithms used to manage their work in a test case that could lead to greater transparency for millions of gig economy workers. The case has been brought by UK-based App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU)

As Scottish business faces one of the toughest-ever economic climates, employers may be questioning whether diversity and inclusion programmes – viewed by some as ‘nice to have’ rather than essential – should be abandoned, writes Alison Woods. With many employers facing huge

Planning lawyer Ewan MacLeod provides detail on the Scottish government’s consultation on the future of Scottish Planning Policy and the removal of the current presumption in favour of sustainable development. In 2014, the Scottish government introduced a significant change to Scottish Plannin

Barristers in Northern Ireland have been told that the size of juries in criminal cases could be reduced from 12 to nine or seven members to help clear the COVID-19 backlog. The Office of the Lord Chief Justice, the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service, The Bar of Northern Ireland and the L