Academics have called for judges to stop directing juries to take body language into account when assessing the credibility of witnesses. Sixty-four mock juries were set up for research, featuring a total of 863 participants. Half of them were shown a recorded rape trial while the remainder were sho
Search: Scottish syndicate purchased land 1901 for £5000
The introduction of group procedure (class actions) in Scotland in 2020 has given litigation-savvy claimants another choice of forum in which to raise a class action. Under the new procedure, groups of two or more people with the same, similar, or related claims, can unite to raise proceedings in a
Scottish Housing Associations can hardly have failed to notice the increasing level of debate within the sector in recent times around the themes of sustainability and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance matters). Participation of individual RSLs and their boards in the debate has, so far, bee
James Chalmers and Fiona Leverick respond to recent articles about jurors’ assessment of credibility in criminal trials. Our recent study of the way in which jurors assess credibility in criminal trials has been the subject of some attention in Scottish Legal News. In this study, we reported o
Sheriff Alan Miller, a pioneer for protecting the rights of children and young people in Scotland, has been appointed to the independent board for the children’s tribunal system in Guernsey. Sheriff Miller, who has more than 30 years’ experience, previously acted as a consultant to
The annual Red Mass to mark the beginning of the new legal year in Scotland is returning and takes place in Edinburgh on Sunday, 18 September 2022 at 12 noon. The Mass will be celebrated in St Mary’s R.C. Cathedral, Broughton Street and the principal celebrant will be the Most Reverend Leo Cus
Addleshaw Goddard has unveiled the 13 tech businesses chosen for this year's AG Elevate mentoring scheme. From creating a safe metaverse space for children to building industrial scale vertical farming solutions, the high-growth potential businesses selected span the tech economy.
The UK government's proposed Bill of Rights has been abandoned. The bill was due to have a second reading in Parliament next week. The government is now, however, "reviewing the most effective means to deliver objectives through our legislative agenda" and the Bill of Rights is "unlikely to progress
The Humanist Society Scotland has said "the time is now" for Scotland to enshrine assisted dying in law, as Liam McArthur MSP lodges a new bill following the highest number of responses to a public consultation on a members bill. A total of 14,038 consultation responses were received – th
In Oil States Industries (UK) Limited v "S" Limited; Lagan Building Contractors Limited (in administration); John Hansen and Stuart Irwin, the joint administrators [2022] CSOH 52, the argument related to the development of a new office and production facilities for the pursuer. The first defender pr
Now that the 'not proven' debate has been settled, defence advocate Tony Lenehan writes about the impending juryless trials pilot and questions the authority on which it has been proposed. I cannot now remember what I was doing in 1994 which distracted me from watching the OJ Simpson trial on televi
Former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Lord Wallace of Tankerness KC, has paid tribute to Her Majesty The Queen in the House of Lords in a poignant speech, ahead of the service and ceremony on the arrival of the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall at which he will attend
Protection from discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief was introduced in 2003 and subsequently included as a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010. Belief is defined as any religious or philosophical belief (including a lack of belief) but it is specifically the area of phil
A medical student who was unable to receive support from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) due to the circumstances of her residence in the UK has been successful in a petition for judicial review challenging the legality of parts of the Students’ Allowances (Scotland) Regulations
The Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain KC, has renewed her pledge to tackle the crimes of domestic abuse and stalking with robust prosecution. She made the commitment as new figures were released, showing a 1.9 percent decrease in the number of charges reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fisca