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Westminster's Scottish Affairs Committee has today launched a new inquiry examining firearms licensing in Scotland, following the recent tragedy on the Isle of Skye. The responsibility for gun control rests with the Home Office, while policing is a devolved matter. As such, local police forces handl

The Keeper of the Signet and former Lord Chancellor of Great Britain, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, will reflect on his extraordinary career at a free event in Edinburgh next month.

Hot on the heels of the Wagatha Christie saga which brought defamation arising from social media into the minds of many, new legislation which reforms the law of defamation in Scotland came into force on 8 August. Baktosch Gillan and Mike Kemp explain the details. Prior to the Defamation and Ma

The Metropolitan Police has admitted it did not send questionnaires to Prime Minister Boris Johnson before deciding not to fine him for attending a gathering in No 10 on 13 November 2020 or a gathering in the Cabinet Office on 17 December 2020. Fines were given to other attendees at the gatherings i

Burness Paull has completed a letting at BAM TCP Atlantic Square Limited’s 2 Atlantic Square, Glasgow, in the heart of the city’s International Financial Services District. The firm follows engineering and project management consultancy Atkins Limited, which last year became its first oc

Peers in the Lords have voted in favour of an amendment to the Police, Crime, Courts and Sentencing Bill to scrap the Vagrancy Act across England and Wales. Already repealed in Scotland, the 1824 legislation is still used to criminalise people for rough sleeping or begging.

Lord Tyre, Lord Boyd and Lady Wise have been appointed to the First Division of the Inner House of the Court of Session and will take up their appointments from 5 January 2022. The Lord President, Lord Carloway, and the Lord Justice Clerk, Lady Dorrian, recommended the appointments to allow court bu

Attempts to make online courts the default forum for civil justice do not "make any sense" and are "very much second best" to conducting legal business in person, experts have told Scottish Legal News. Draft rules prepared by the Scottish Civil Justice Council – which are currently out for con

TLT partner and head of licensing in Scotland, Stephen McGowan, has published a book exploring the complex world of alcohol licensing in Scotland. Aimed at licensing practitioners, solicitors, local authority and police officers, as well as business owners, McGowan on Alcohol Licensing Law in S

Extra funding to services supporting victims of crime and to improve public understanding of stalking offences has been announced by Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf. The £137,000 funding, made up of one-off grants, includes funding to cover additional costs incurred during the Covid-19 lockdown

Most lawyers oppose the removal of the 'not proven' verdict from Scotland's legal system, according to new research. A survey carried out by the Open University found that Scots lawyers supported a system consisting of 'proven' and 'not proven' verdicts and requiring a juror majority of 12

The number of legal professionals contacting the charity LawCare for emotional support continues to rise year on year, with 738 legal professionals seeking help in 2020, a rise of nine per cent on the previous year. The charity received 964 calls, webchats, and emails to their support service in 202

Lord Hope of Craighead has warned that the UK government "will bring our precious union to an end" if it is not "very careful". The former Deputy President of the Supreme Court and Lord President of the Court of Session was speaking in the House of Lords on the devolution aspects of the Internal Mar

The last thing the UK needs is a government whose ministers exercise “unbridled power”, a former Supreme Court justice has said. Speaking to The Guardian, Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore, who retired from the bench last month, criticised recent comments from the Home Secretary Priti Patel and Pr

Legal mental health charity LawCare has released data on all COVID-19 related contacts it has received to date for Mental Health Awareness Week. Forty-eight legal professionals have contacted the charity with issues related to COVID-19 since 10 March, making up over a third (37 per cent) of all cont