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
Search: Scottish syndicate purchased land 1901 for £5000
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
A new national strategy to help cut violent crime further has been published. Backed by more than £2 million of Scottish government investment this year, the Violence Prevention Framework is the first co-ordinated strategy for Scotland to tackle the issue.
The number of cases concluded in 2022/23 rose by 15 per cent from 2021/22, according to the latest statistical bulletin from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.
Duncan Hamilton KC and his brother David, a former chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, are driving a specially adapted vehicle to Ukraine where it will be used to support children traumatised by the ongoing war. Thousands of children are 'internally displaced' in Ukraine and many are traumat
A drinks reception to celebrate the achievements of Dame Margaret Kidd KC, as well as those of all other female members of the Scottish bar, will be hosted by the Faculty of Advocates in Parliament Hall later this month. Margaret Kidd was the first woman to call as an advocate in Scotland, in 1923.
The Scottish Prison Service has opened the doors for the first time to the new £85.7 million HMP & YOI Stirling, a replacement facility for HMP Cornton Vale.
The latest true crime podcast series from BBC Scotland/BBC Sounds delves into a conspiracy theory that shook the Scottish legal establishment to its core in the 1990s. It was claimed that gay judges and lawyers – who feared reputational damage if their homosexuality was revealed at the time &n
Proposed new laws intended to strengthen public confidence in standards of police conduct have been published. The Scottish government’s Police (Ethics, Conduct and Scrutiny) (Scotland) Bill has been introduced to Holyrood with the aim of ensuring allegations of misconduct are dealt with more