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
Search: Scottish syndicate purchased land 1901 for £5000
The paedophile John Watt QC, 72, who was jailed for 10 years on Monday should be stripped of his rank as Queen's Counsel, lawyers have demanded. The former prosecutor and defence lawyer was found guilty last month of sexually abusing children on various occasions between 1973 and 1987.
A dentist who worked as a Covid-19 vaccinator without being paid the sessional rate for dental contractors has been awarded just over £13,000 by an employment tribunal after it found her wages had been unlawfully deducted. Audrey Kershaw, who qualified as a dentist in 1987, raised the claim ag
Police Scotland has suffered more than 2,800 suspected data breaches or related incidents since 2019, a new report states. The figure is the highest of all forces in the UK that provided information on their data regimes, The Scotsman reports.
Baktosch Gillan spoke to Law Society of Scotland president Murray Etherington on the work he intends to do during his year in office. Murray Etherington wanted to be a lawyer from a young age. Growing up in 1980s and 1990s, it was the American television drama L.A. Law which encouraged him to s
The Legal Services Agency (LSA) has expressed its support for the removal of a rule excluding from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme victims who have unspent convictions. The UK government launched a consultation on revising the scheme's unspent convictions eligibility rule in
The latest National Records of Scotland statistics show 1,330 people lost their lives to drugs in 2021 – a decrease of only one per cent on the previous year. A national mission was announced in January 2021 to tackle rising death deaths in Scotland with additional funding of £250 millio
A new community custodial unit is set to open which aims to change the way women in the justice system are supported in their reintegration back to communities. The Bella Centre in Dundee will deliver a marked departure in terms of the management of female offenders. Specifically designed with the n
Shepherd and Wedderburn reports three per cent jump in profits to £26m and five per cent staff bonus
Shepherd and Wedderburn has reported five per cent turnover growth to £62.2 million in the year to 30 April 2022 as it announced that staff will receive an exceptional bonus of five per cent of annual salary. Net profits, before partner distributions, grew three per cent to £26 million.
A solicitor is urging other lawyers to be mindful of a significant new piece of legislation, the National Security and Investment Act 2021, to ensure clients are not negatively affected when investing in sectors that could impact national security. The Act gives the government powers to scrutin
A judicial review action by a man seeking asylum in the UK who was seriously injured in a Glasgow hotel in a stabbing incident has been refused by the English High Court. Claimant MG argued that the Secretary of State for the Home Department was obliged to commission an independent investigati
The text of the order refusing an application by the Advocate General for Scotland to limit the question before the Supreme Court in the independence litigation has been published. President of the Supreme Court, Lord Reed, stated in the order: "Since the issues of (a) whether the Court sh
Dr Conor McCormick of Queen's University Belfast examines recent developments concerning the office of attorney general and its equivalents. This month marks the publication of my book on The Constitutional Legitimacy of Law Officers in the United Kingdom, which contains a detailed analysis of the f
The recent case of Free Miles v The Royal Veterinary College, featuring Dorothy the turkey, shares striking similarities to one of my early employment tribunal cases. In that memorable case, the claimant had “rescued” (we said “stolen”) a duck (unnamed) from her employer beca
The family of the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing have vowed to continue their struggle to clear his name after the Supreme Court refused them permission to appeal. In January last year, the High Court of Justiciary rejected an appeal against conviction brought by the family of the late Abdel
