The Sheriff Appeal Court has held that being in possession of a knife for the purpose of using it to commit suicide is not a reasonable excuse in terms of section 49(4) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995 after an appeal against conviction was raised on that basis. The appellant,
Search: Scottish syndicate purchased land 1901 for £5000
Lawyers are predicting a surge in legal cases that take advantage of rules to offset the financial risk of litigation as businesses emerge from the pandemic. Litigation finance rules – which allow parties to a case to fund commercial disputes upfront while spreading the cost – came into
Deficiencies in Scots law around advance choices and medical decision-making in intensive care situations put human rights in jeopardy, according to a Law Society of Scotland report. A Law Society working group of legal experts, medical practitioners and academics authored the report, published toda
A judicial review petition challenging the policy of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to withhold compensation for victims with unspent criminal convictions has been refused by the Outer House of the Court of Session. A, the petitioner, had applied to CICA, the second respondent, for com
Gender Recognition Act reforms should not be rushed, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has told MSPs at Holyrood. The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill aims to make it easier for trans people to change their legally recognised sex.
Shoosmiths, which has offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow, is to increase NQ salaries. The firm announced that salaries will rise by 16 per cent on November 1 this year.
Influential businessman Sir Angus Grossart has passed away at the age of 85 after a short illness. He was educated at Glasgow Academy and Glasgow University, where he obtained an LLB following an MA.
McKee Campbell Morrison (MCM) has welcomed Michael Flett to the firm’s corporate team as an associate director. Mr Flett joins from Addleshaw Goddard where he specialised in corporate law and worked with companies spanning a variety of sectors in areas including mergers and acquisitions, IPOs,
Jamie Gray, an expert in financial services law, has been appointed as a partner at Burness Paull. Mr Gray, who joins from Addleshaw Goddard, advises banks, investment firms, corporate finance and private equity houses, technology companies, platforms and trading facilities, payment services provide
A new Centre of Expertise in Equality and Human Rights to "put human rights and equality at the heart of economic policy development" is being established. The centre, an action from Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation, will see government "working with experts to build kn
Employers should take care in offering shorter work hours to their employees over the summer, an employment law partner at Thorntons Solicitors has said. Chris Phillips made the comments after it emerged that Big Four accountancy firm PwC would offer staff shorter work hours on a Friday during the s
The next steps in reforming Scotland’s aquaculture regulatory system have been outlined by Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon. Speaking at an industry sector conference in Aviemore, Ms Gougeon announced the formation of a consenting task group to make rapid progress on streamlining the aqua
Lawyers are to run the distance from Edinburgh to Kyiv this month in aid of Ukraine. David Duncan and Douglas McConnell from Duncan & McConnell Solicitors are among a team running 2698 km between 1 May and 31 May, which equates to 208km/130miles each.
An action for damages raised against a care home that allowed a high-risk teen under its care to have unsupervised leave, during which time he raped a child, has been dismissed by a judge in the Outer House of the Court of Session. The action was raised by the child’s grandmother, A, against c
Leading lawyer Gordon Keyden is set to retire from global law firm Clyde & Co after more than 45 years of service to the firm and its clients. Mr Keyden was a consultant at Clyde & Co, having retired from the firm's partnership in April 2020. As a partner at Simpson & Marwick, he was par
