Kapil Summan

Left: The lord justice general teddy stands resplendent in his ermine-lined robe with its characteristic pattern of hanging black-tipped tails. Right: Elegance incarnate: The robe of the lord justice-clerk is distinguished by holes in the white cloth, through which her red gown shows – the inn

A new book aiming to restore India's place in the ancient world is a treasure trove of insight and anecdote, writes Kapil Summan. On 1 September 1783, the 24-gun man o' war HMS Crocodile arrived in Madras. A Porcupine-class warship late of the British defeat in America, its most precious asset was t

An academic has taken the Lord Justice Clerk, Lady Dorrian, to task over a "carelessly drafted" opinion. In an article on long punishment parts in the Scots Law Times, Dr Graeme Brown, senior lecturer in law at Aberdeen University, wrote that Lady Dorrian's opinion in Packer (Iain) v HMA was "poorly

The de recenti disclosure of an undistressed complainer to a third party that they have been the victim of a sexual offence is corroborative, a full bench of the Appeal Court of the High Court of Justiciary has ruled – though one judge gave a minority view warning against the effective removal

The last vestiges of 'brat summer' have brought forth a treasure in the form of Professor Nicholas Grier appearing on film to offer us a tour of his institution – in the idiom of Gen Z. The commercial law professor at Abertay University, sorry Aber-slay, formerly of Edinburgh Napier, said "I h

Pictured (L-R): Paul O'Kane, Evelyn Tweed, Lord Carloway, Marie McNair and Annie Wells The Lord President, Lord Carloway, has stressed the importance of the separation of powers to a visiting committee of MSPs from Holyrood.

A question from a politician gave the Lord Justice Clerk, Lady Dorrian, pause for thought, and laughter, at Holyrood yesterday. The judge, along with Lord Ericht, was appearing before the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee, which was taking evidence on the Regulation of Legal Servi

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain KC has made a reference to the High Court of Justiciary in a bid to expand the evidential value of 'distress' in rape cases. A seven-judge panel will decide whether or not to overturn the 1997 case of Smith v Lees, in which a bench of five decided that the distress of a co

Advocates cannot act in the juryless trials pilot without the participation of solicitors, contrary to a rumour endorsed by politicians that betrays "complete ignorance" of the legal system, a senior lawyer has told Scottish Legal News. Vice-Dean of Faculty, Ronnie Renucci KC, said that, since

Scottish Legal News editor Kapil Summan speaks to historian and former Supreme Court justice, Jonathan Sumption, Lord Sumption, at his home in London. They discuss criminal reforms; the limits of law; the decline in legislative drafting in the UK; free speech and the need to stand up to the new cult

Scottish government plans to check up on the performance of the proposed juryless rape trials violate the separation of powers and are an attack on the independence of the judiciary, a former judge has said. Writing in Scottish Legal News today, Lord Uist, a retired senator of the College of Justice

Scots lawyers are overwhelmingly in favour of a four-day work week, a Scottish Legal News poll has, unsurprisingly, found. Of the 331 responses to our survey, 286 readers, or 86.4 per cent, answered 'yes' to the question: Do you believe that lawyers should work a four-day week?

Humza Yousaf has promised to decriminalise abortion in Scotland – despite the fact it is not a crime here. Mr Yousaf, who hopes to become Scotland's next leader, said he was supporting campaign group Back Off Scotland's calls for the practice to be fully decriminalised.

The immigration rules relating to the EU Settlement Scheme are so poorly drafted that they may "lack the clarity of law", a judge in the Upper Tribunal has said. The comments were made in a case in which the Home Secretary appealed a decision of the First-tier Tribunal, which had found in favour of

Scottish Legal News spoke to Niamh Hargan about her busy life as a media lawyer and novelist. Lawyer by day and writer by night – literally – Niamh Hargan juggles a demanding job in media law while penning novels in her spare time.