The head of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service has told Holyrood's Justice Committee that judge-only trials were “not completely off the table”. The Scottish government's original proposals along these lines were met with a furious backlash. Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf thereaft
Search: Scots syndicate 1901 bought land in Glasgow for £5000
Many will have despaired at the poor questioning of ministers by ill-focused journalists. Andrew Crosbie, a devil, has provided a blog on how journalists should cross-examine politicians and hold them to account. He writes: "In the dystopian hellscape that is 2020, we have all become accustomed to f
Mental health legislation needs to be updated to take more account of children and young persons, the Faculty of Advocates has suggested. In a response to a review of mental health law in Scotland, the Faculty also drew attention to a disparity in provision for men and women who require treatment in
The first jury citations for potential jurors to be issued since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown have today been sent out in preparation for High Court trials to restart in Edinburgh and Glasgow in July. Safety for all participants is the key component of the planning and preparation for jury tri
On Thursday 2 July, the Equality and Human Rights Commission in Scotland will host a webinar to discuss the risks and opportunities for effective participation posed by the recent expansion in use of remote hearings in Scotland’s courts and tribunals. The webinar follows on from the commission
New guidance has been issued which aims to ensure that moving home in Scotland can happen safely during the coronavirus outbreak. Having announced on June 18 that restrictions on housing moves will be relaxed from June 29, the Scottish government has now published more detailed guidance on how
The introduction of Phase 2 of Scotland's exit from the crisis was welcomed by many. A notable exception, however, was a large number of hospitality businesses, who had been gearing up to re-open outdoor spaces and start to welcome customers back, says Stephen McGowan. Those hopes were dashed when F
The Thistle Weir Youth Academy has announced Jones Whyte as its main “front of shirt” sponsor.
The Constitution Secretary has outlined to MSPs how the UK government’s plans for a post-Brexit internal market would "threaten high standards and a range of devolved policies". Giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Constitution Committee, Michael Russell said the Scot
Juries in High Court trials in Scotland will convene in cinemas to hear cases remotely in the autumn. The Lord Justice General, Lord Carloway, has approved the recommendation from the Restarting Solemn Trials Working Group to create remote jury centres in cinemas.
Guidance on sentencing young people, with rehabilitation at its heart, has been given strong support by the Faculty of Advocates – but with a warning that the public needs to be assured the aim is not to let offenders go scot-free. The Faculty said in response to a consultation on a draft guid
The Scottish government's Finance and Constitution Committee has launched a call for views on the impact of the Trade Bill 2020.
Lawyers in Aberdeen have called for temporary courtrooms to be established to help tackle the increasing backlog of cases caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as sheriff and jury trials have still not resumed. The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) recently announced plans to restart High
The SQA's appeal system is not compliant with human rights, according to an expert in child law at Glasgow Caledonian University. Dr Tracy Kirk wrote to Holyrood's Education Committee as part of a submission for the youth-led campaign group SQA Where's Our Say.
The Scottish Law Agents Society (SLAS) has warned that moves to compel digitisation of small value claims, under simple procedure, in the Sheriff Court risk excluding those who lack the ability or confidence to engage with the system. Andrew Stevenson, secretary of SLAS, said it was no coincide