A bill to enable councils to invest more in local tourism facilities and services through a levy on overnight stays has been published. If passed by the Scottish Parliament, the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill will give councils the power to apply a levy on stays in overnight accommodation based on a p
Search: Scottish syndicate purchased land 1901 for £5000
Scotland's unique Children’s Hearings system, currently run by volunteers, could be replaced with paid professionals. Proposals to professionalise the system have been made before, but the new suggestions are part of 97 recommendations for the Scottish government to review.
Solicitors, law firms and other Civil Online Portal users should be aware that the Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service are rolling out a new version of the Civil Online Portal to coincide with the revised simple procedure legislation which comes into force on Wednesday 31 May 2023. Existing Civi
Members wishing to stand for election at the Scottish Young Lawyers' Association (SYLA) AGM must nominate themselves by Monday evening. The association's AGM is taking place on Wednesday 31 May 2023, 6pm, on a hybrid basis, with members invited to take part at Burness Paull's offices – with re
A former judge of the Supreme Court has expressed concern about the compatibility of Scottish government proposals for juryless rape trials with the independence of the judiciary. Lord Hope of Craighead has said he is "very uneasy" with clause 40 of the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotlan
The Dundee criminal defence agents met on Wednesday 3 May, and it was a unanimous decision that they will not be taking part in the Scottish government's planned juryless trials pilot scheme. After this meeting I noted numerous Bar Associations and Faculties doing the same thing. On Tuesday 9 May, w
Eligibility for free student tuition support in Scotland will be extended to cover a wider range of immigration statuses following a court ruling. The Scottish government has published its response to a recent consultation on student support residency conditions which was launched following the deci
Clowns to the left and jokers to the right: the Scottish electorate is zugzwanged as David J Black sees it. Some weeks ago The Guardian’s Marina Hyde levelled a blast against Labour and its normally hesitant leader. Her headline, 'What was that dreadful thud? The sound of Keir Starmer falling
Solicitors, legal firms and other Civil Online Portal users should be aware that Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service is rolling out a new version of the Civil Online Portal to coincide with the revised simple procedure legislation which come into force on 31 May 2023. Existing Civil Online funct
The Scottish government is considering reforms to the role of the lord advocate, years after they were originally mooted. The SNP pledged to consider reforms in the wake of the Alex Salmond case and the police investigation into the SNP's finances. A consultation on the matter was promised in the SN
Businesses will be able to borrow more easily against assets such as whisky stores and machinery under legal reforms passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Bill, which aims to make it easier for businesses to raise finance, will also enable them to borrow against int
A new approach to equip justice agencies with the skills and knowledge needed to "reduce the re-traumatisation of victims and witnesses of crime" has been published today. It underpins a key aim of the Scottish government's Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, introduced last
Roderick Macdonald, Lord Uist, warns that the Scottish government's new justice bill features two provisions which are "constitutionally repugnant" and must be removed. On 26 April 2023 the Scottish government introduced into the Scottish Parliament the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotlan
Lawyers have reacted with dismay to plans to push ahead with a pilot of juryless trials in Scotland. The Scottish government announced the introduction of the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill to Holyrood yesterday.
A new bill to regulate the legal profession in Scotland risks seriously undermining its independence from the state, the Law Society has warned. The new bill introduced by the Scottish government will see the Law Society of Scotland continue as the regulator of Scottish solicitors, with additional p
