A woman who was assaulted by her husband was unable to secure civil legal aid for her divorce, despite contacting more than 116 law firms. The mother-of-two from the Highlands qualified for legal aid due to being on universal credit but said no firms were willing or able to take on her case. Some re
Search: Scottish syndicate purchased land 1901 for £5000
Lady Tait has been sworn in as a senator of the College of Justice. Lady Tait was sworn in by the Lord President, Lord Pentland, in a ceremony at the Court of Session yesterday. After administering the Oath of Allegiance and the Judicial Oath, Lord Pentland invited Lady Tait to take her seat on the
Last November was another significant point in Jen Paton’s career trajectory. The Edinburgh-based legal director in Shoosmiths’ corporate division had been named Corporate Rising Star of the Year at the influential Legal 500 Scotland Awards held in the city. For Ms Paton it was an opport
The Right Honourable Lord Pentland has been sworn in as lord president and lord justice general.
John Sturrock KC explains how Scotland's outgoing senior judges were instrumental in the creation of the Faculty’s training programme three decades ago. This week marks the retirement of Scotland’s two most senior judges, Lord Carloway, the Lord President, and Lady Dorrian, the Lord Just
Aldi, known for making products that are “like brands, only cheaper”, has been held to infringe Thatchers' trademark in respect of its lookalike cloudy lemon cider product, writes Geoff Steward. Last week, the Court of Appeal of England and Wales found in favour of Thatchers, who had bro
Lord Ericht has reduced decisions to allow production from two oil and gas fields. There were three petitions relating to oil or gas projects in the North Sea and North Atlantic. Two non‑governmental organisations, Greenpeace and Uplift, sought to challenge (a) the decision of the secretary of sta
A dispute over an incorrectly served Low Emission Zone penalty charge notice that was ruled unenforceable by the First-tier and Upper Tribunals has been remitted to the First-tier Tribunal for reconsideration after a successful appeal by a local authority to the Inner House of the Court of Session.
The High Court of Justiciary has answered in the negative two questions relating to whether the Crown had acted unlawfully in the separate prosecution of two teenagers in Dundee Sheriff Court by acting in a manner said to be unlawful under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (I
A cultural change and “brave and bold action” are required to tackle a “public health emergency” created by drug use in Scotland, according to a report sent to MSPs by a people’s panel. The panellists’ report recognises that progress has been made, but says that f
Sheriff Simon Collins KC has issued his determination following a fatal accident inquiry into the deaths by suicide of Katie Allan and William Brown, which occurred at HM Prison and Young Offenders Institution Polmont. Katie, 21, was found dead in her cell on 4 June 2018. William, 16, was found dead
The WS Society is hosting two free talks later this month. Professor Chloe Kennedy's Inducing Intimacy: Deception, Consent and the Law is based in part on research conducted at the Signet Library and considers the law's response to deceptively induced intimacy across both civil and criminal law over
A pilot which led to improved experiences for complainers and witnesses in five courts is to be rolled out to all sheriff courts in Scotland by the end of this year. The Summary Case Management (SCM) is a case management initiative which is aims to bring early resolution for complainers and witnesse
In the first of our occasional series highlighting Scotland’s legal treasures, we examine a charter in the keeping of the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow which is a remarkably early example of a woman asserting her rights.
When Brandon Malone dropped dead five years ago, it was a defibrillator machine – and quick-thinking hotel staff – that saved his life. Luckily an automatic-external defibrillator had been at hand and, though his heart had stopped for a full 20 minutes, the people using it were able to s
