A new statement of prosecution policy sets out the circumstances in which the use of diversion or referral are appropriate where a child has been accused of rape or other serious sexual offences. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said the new document recognises the seriousness
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Ledingham Chalmers has promoted 11 legal professionals across its Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Inverness offices in one of its largest-ever promotion rounds. Five lawyers — Edinburgh-based litigation lawyers Laila Kennedy and Mitchell Bell, and Aberdeen-based commercial property lawyer Taylor Morri
Scottish building and fire safety regulations are set to change significantly in light of the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry, writes Katherine Metcalfe. The Scottish Government’s acceptance of all recommendations from the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire signals further significant cha
A Dundee sheriff has refused an appeal by a trust against a decision of the Scottish ministers to allow a community body to exercise the right to purchase derelict land in St Andrews owned by the trust, in the first appeal of its kind in Scotland. Forthtay Ltd Employee Trust, which owned a plot of l
The state of Scotland’s police estate has been revealed in new figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives. A freedom of information response received by the party details that 333 police stations require repairs.
Two men who plotted to ferry cannabis with a street value of up £1.5 million into Scotland from Europe hidden inside a lorry load of watermelons have been imprisoned for a total of 13 years and two months. Scott McSeveney, 37, masterminded the cross-border plan and enlisted HGV company owner S
In the wake of World Intellectual Property Day, Alastair Smith explores the crucial significance of intellectual property rights in protecting the creative work and ensuring the commercial success of musicians and composers. It is arguably the most iconic movie signature tune of all time, recognisab
The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has today laid its budget for 2025-26 at Holyrood after the SLCC Board approved its draft budget and operating plan following a statutory consultation. Commenting on the budget, SLCC chair, Jane Malcolm said: “We’re grateful to those organi
The demolition of a building known as "Britain's biggest man cave" has cost around £220,000 in taxpayers' money.
Plans to reward people who report corporate crime within their own organisation are to be taken forward by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) over the next year, writes Tom Stocker. In its latest annual business plan the SFO lists “progress whistleblower incentivisation reform” as
US-based private equity house Lime Rock Partners has succeeded in its case against oil and gas businessman, Robert Kidd in what is understood to be the single biggest damages claim in Scottish legal history. In March 2024, after having heard weeks of evidence, the commercial judge (Lord Tyre) found
Jen McCormick has been appointed as a partner at Ashurst. One of 20 new partners, Ms McCormick, who is based in Glasgow, is the regional head of the firm's advance solutions practice for EMEA and the US. She is a finance lawyer by background with experience in banking, restructuring and insolvency.
A commercial judge has imposed an additional uplift on the judicial expenses of a company group that abandoned before proof an £85 million action alleging an unlawful means conspiracy on the part of eleven defenders after finding that its conduct in the action had been unreasonable. Mex Group
The Society of Advocates in Aberdeen is a professional body of legal practitioners in Aberdeen and the northeast of Scotland, incorporated by three Royal Charters in 1774, 1799, and 1862. The Society’s roots date back to at least the 16th century, and historically it was responsible for the tr
