The Scottish government will challenge the Secretary of State for Scotland’s use of Section 35 of the Scotland Act to stop the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill going forward to Royal Assent following the Scottish Parliament’s approval of the legislation in December 2022. Social
Search: Scottish syndicate purchased land 1901 for £5000
The Scottish government recently published guidance on the ‘Repairing Standard’. This is often talked about in the context of the private residential letting sector but, in fact, it has a much wider application. Moreover, from 2027 it will be further extended and this will have a signifi
Aberdeen law student Hamza Afzal is one of 10 finalists and the only Scottish student in the running for the Undergraduate Future Lawyer of the Year Awards 2023. The 21-year-old, who is studying Scots law with English law, was one of more than 5,000 entrants from across the UK to take part in the co
A small charity providing legal and welfare advice to Spanish speakers in Edinburgh is looking for Scottish solicitors and advocates who speak Spanish to join its referrals list. Oficina Precaria Escocia's work centres mainly around employment, family, consumer and immigration law.
Solicitors and law firms are being invited to attend a demonstration of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service’s new Civil Online platform. The new portal has been developed to include the legislative change required for Act of Sederunt (Simple Procedure Amendment) (Miscellaneous) 2022
Plans to enable councils to raise the amount of council tax paid on empty and second homes will be included in a new consultation to help increase housing availability. First Minister Humza Yousaf will announce proposals at the Scottish Trades Union Congress today which could give councils powers to
CMS has announced that three of its Scottish-based colleagues have been promoted to partner level. Fiona Henderson, a finance lawyer from the firm’s Aberdeen banking team, joins Glasgow-based David Dennis and Davinia Cowden on this year’s list of global partner promotions.
Legal sector reforms, including proposals to "simplify the complaints process for consumers and legal professionals", have been published in a Scottish government bill introduced to Parliament. The Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill would for the first time, make it possible for complaints
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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