A new judge has honoured his late mother by taking her maiden name for his title, Lord Harrower. Sean Smith QC was sworn in as a Senator of the College of Justice at a ceremony led by Lord Carloway, the Lord President in Parliament House.
Search: Scottish syndicate purchased land 1901 for £5000
Immediate and fundamental reform of the asylum system is required to prevent lock-change evictions, destitution and street homelessness of some of the most vulnerable people in Scotland, according to a new report.
A justice of the Supreme Court has hinted that the judiciary will not willingly cede any independence in a remark made during the swearing-in of Lord Hodge as deputy president of the court. Delivering some introductory words at the ceremony, Lord Wilson said it would be for Lord Hodge and Lord Reed,
Legislation is required to tackle high rents in Scotland as efforts to date have failed to make an impact, argues Mike Dailly. Truth be told we haven’t done much to address unfair rents for more than a century in Scotland.
A student from Afghanistan who has lived in the UK for more than five years has had a legal challenge against a decision to refuse her application for indefinite leave to remain dismissed. The petitioner was seeking to continue her studies in aircraft engineering, but the Home Office rejected her ap
A Holyrood committee has called for a “sunset clause” to be included in proposed legislation which would allow the Scottish government to amend or replace parts of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) during the post-Brexit transition period. In its stage 1 report on the Agriculture (Ret
A bill to protect private sector tenants by introducing measures to limit rent increases and to increase the availability of information about rent levels was launched by Pauline McNeill MSP this week.
An event at Strathclyde University has shed light on mediation. Scotland's 2016 simple procedure rules encourage sheriffs to refer parties to mediation; yet what takes place inside the mediation room is a mystery to most.
Over the past three months, the average property selling price in Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Borders was £248,009 – an increase of 2.1 per cent on the previous year. In Edinburgh, the average selling price was £265,748, a 1.8 per cent increase compared to last year.
Plans to open civil partnerships to different-sex couples have drawbacks, but those might be a blessing in the long run, the Faculty of Advocates has suggested. In a submission to the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee, the Faculty said the Civil Partnership (Scotland)
A man accused of stalking has successfully challenged an attempt by prosecutors to lead evidence that he had previously assaulted one of the complainers. A sheriff ruled that it would be “prejudicial” to the accused to allow the evidence of a “collateral incident” which
Exploratory research into the reasons behind decisions on bail and remand has been commissioned to support work to reduce the number of people on pre-trial and pre-sentencing remand in the prison system. Scotland has the highest prison population per head in western Europe and approximately one in f
Professor Lorne Crerar makes the case for the Roberton Review. The Roberton Review proposals for reform of legal services regulation in Scotland are radical.
New legislation ensuring that any child witness in the most serious criminal cases will have their evidence pre-recorded comes into force today. The change, which will apply to certain cases in the High Court, will spare under 18s from having to give evidence during a trial.
Sheriff David Mackie, 66, has retired from the bench after 15 years at Alloa Sheriff Court. In an interview with the Alloa & Hillfoots Advertiser, Sheriff Mackie reflected on his journey to the bench.
