American lawyer David Rudolf, whose client Michael Peterson was the focus of the Netflix hit The Staircase, has said mounting interest in crime documentaries and podcasts is helping to hold the criminal justice system to account. Mr Rudolf, who is speaking in Edinburgh on November 25th, told Scottis
Search: Scottish syndicate purchased land 1901 for £5000
A decision that a boy was not a “relevant person” for the purposes of attending a children’s hearing concerning his baby half-sister did not breach the older child’s human rights, appeal judges have ruled. The Inner House of the Court of Session upheld a sheriff&rsq
Community councils can be sued for damages for personal injuries, the Court of Session has ruled. A judge held that community councils, which had been created by parliament as distinct bodies with rights and duties to act in the public interest, were “hybrid bodies” which could be sued i
A former SNP councillor has been awarded £40,000 in damages after raising a defamation action against a party activist who falsely accused her of racism. Julie McAnulty sued Sheena McCulloch over the content of an email sent to the party compliance manager, in which it was alleg
Balfour+Manson was the first law firm to assume a female partner in Scotland in 1949, and it continues to promote women on merit, says Elaine Motion. As a lawyer specialising in human rights and civil liberties, I have stood up for equality throughout my career
A woman who claims she was raped by a former partner and that she was the victim of domestic abuse is suing her ex-boyfriend for damages in a landmark legal case. The action will be heard in the Court of Session after a sheriff ruled that the case raised important matters of “public
It has been five years since the Marriage and Civil Partnerships (Scotland) Act 2014 was passed. Marika Franceschi and Liusa Reid ask what, if anything, has changed? On 12 March 2014, the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act was brought into force, 10 years after the Civil Partnership
Peter Ward looks at what's in store for the renewables sector after Brexit. Much has been written about the potential impact of Brexit on the UK’s renewable energy sector. Common themes that have emerged are loss of investor confidence, concerns over energy security and delays in much nee
This is the text of a lecture given on 1 April 3000 A.D. by Professor Jonathan Yǔyàn, professor of primitive law at Baffinland University. Michael Upton, advocate, M.C.I.Arb., at the Hastie Stable, has secured a translation from the Chinese, through a wormhole in the space-time continuum. La
This is the text of a lecture given on 1 April 3000 A.D. by Professor Jonathan Yǔyàn, professor of primitive law at Baffinland University. Michael Upton, advocate, M.C.I.Arb., at the Hastie Stable, has secured a translation from the Chinese, through a wormhole in the space-time continuum. La
A man accused of the rape of woman while she was asleep who claimed that he had the consent of the complainer has had his appeal rejected. The High Court of Justiciary Appeal Court ruled that the terms of the legislation were “clear” that a person cannot consent to conduct while she is a
A carer who sued a local newspaper for defamation has had an appeal against a sheriff’s decision to dismiss the claim rejected. The Sheriff Appeal Court upheld the sheriff’s decision after ruling that there was “no basis” for finding that the article was defamatory.
Iain Mitchell QC clears some of the confusion surrounding artificial intelligence ahead of the AI Beyond the Hype event in Edinburgh this month. In October, 2017, Saudi Arabia conferred citizenship on Sophia. The puzzling thing is that Sophia is a robot, even more human-looking than the archety
There is no basis for the belief that abolishing the ‘not proven’ verdict in Scots law will lead to more people being found guilty of rape and could in fact result in "rogue convictions", leading criminal lawyers have told Scottish Legal News. Responding to Gordon Jackson QC’s sugg
Clive Phillips, head of the land & rural business team at Brodies LLP, gives an insight into the rural sector and the challenges it faces. Q) You are a lawyer and farmer – tell us about it?