Finance Secretary John Swinney (pictured) has, as expected, set out new rates for the land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT), a move forced upon him by UK chancellor George Osborne, whose changes to UK stamp duty undercut Mr Swinney's initial proposals. The new rates will see 50 per cent of all h
Search: Scottish syndicate purchased land 1901 for £5000
Following yesterday’s publication by the UK government of a draft bill for the transfer of powers from Westminster to Holyrood Alistair Morris, president of the Law Society of Scotland, said: “We welcome the publication of the draft clauses and are pleased to see that they take into account the
The nation’s busiest courts are preparing for strike action today as workers claim they are under excessive strain in the wake of court reforms. Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen sheriff courts are expected to be most affected as the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) organised a walk-out fo
A tenant who was caught growing cannabis in his flat but had an “otherwise unblemished record” will not be evicted after a sheriff refused the housing association’s attempt to recover possession of the property. Glasgow Housing Association raised court proceedings after the tenant Mark Stuart
Paula Skinner, a partner in the corporate team at Harper Macleod, has been named as one of the UK’s standout lawyers by a legal publication. She is the only lawyer from a Scottish firm to feature in The Lawyer magazine’s Hot 100 2015 – a list compiled after months of research into candidates
A range of proposals intended to “revitalise” tenant farming in Scotland have been unveiled by rural affairs minister Richard Lochhead (pictured). Measures including the creation of a tenant farming commissioner, opportunities for apprentices and new types of tenancy are among 49 recommendations
Proposed changes to legal aid will deny justice to some of the most vulnerable people in society, according to Shelter Scotland. The housing and homelessness charity said it has “grave concerns” about proposals put forward by the Law Society of Scotland to remove some aspects of housing law from
It has emerged that the chair of the police watchdog, who earned £90,000 last year, submitted claims of hundreds of pounds to attend the funerals of victims of the Clutha helicopter disaster. Vic Emery, the Scottish Police Authority’s chair (pictured), made the claims for expenses to attend the f
Simon Boyle Simon Boyle outlines an argument against developing more wind farms in the Highlands.
A poacher in Scotland has become the first person in the UK to be prosecuted using forensic evidence from a red deer. James Kennedy, 70, was fined at Fort William Sheriff Court after he admitted to poaching a hind at the 9,000-acre Glenfinnan Estate last year.
The Law Society of Scotland is notifying its members that the grace period for the Registers of Scotland (RoS) rejection fee is ending. From Monday 9 February, firms will be charged a £30 rejection fee for failed applications to RoS.
Scottish government proposals for land reform need to be coherent, clear and workable, the Law Society of Scotland has said. The Law Society has submitted its response to the Scottish government’s consultation on the future of land reform in Scotland.
As consultations on land reform draw to an end Robert Scott-Dempster (pictured) discusses how any new measures must comply with the ECHR. Whilst it may feel to the average land owner that there is an inexorable wave of land reform coming in their direction it should not be forgotten that theEuropean
The Law Society of Scotland has published a report following an independent review of consumer protections for people buying and selling property in Scotland. The review, by former Sheriff Principal Edward Bowen CBE QC, examined the current consumer protections in place as well as conveyancing pract
DWF has announced the appointment of Ben Powell (pictured) as a partner in the firm’s construction, infrastructure and projects team in Edinburgh. Mr Powell has previously worked at Dundas & Wilson, McGrigors, Hammonds and, most recently,Tods Murray, where he was a partner in the capital proje