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An Audit Scotland report shows that inadequate resourcing is holding back the criminal justice system, according to the Law Society of Scotland. The independent public body responsible for auditing public organisations in Scotland has released a follow-up to its 2023 report on the criminal courts ba

Peter Murrell purchased 108 toilet rolls using SNP funds just two days before Nicola Sturgeon urged the public not to panic buy at the start of the Covid pandemic, court documents show. The former SNP chief executive, who last week admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party between

City of Glasgow College has beaten Glasgow University to win the 2026 Sheriff Principal's Mooting Competition at the Royal Faculty of Procurators in Glasgow (RFPG).

Orkney solicitor and smaller law firm owner Serena Sutherland has begun her term as president of the Law Society of Scotland. Ms Sutherland succeeded Patricia Thom as president at a meeting of the Council of the Law Society in Edinburgh on Friday. She becomes the Law Society’s 63rd president a

Gibson Kerr has secured what is believed to be the first-ever enforcement of a Scottish court order for child aliment in the United Arab Emirates, a result now confirmed as final after the opposing party's appeal to the UAE's highest available court was formally refused. The case concerned a Scottis

Amey, in partnership with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), has expanded its Unlocking Future Connections programme to Scotland’s largest prison, HMP Barlinnie, to "help reduce reoffending by supporting people leaving custody into employment". The initiative forms part of a nationwide program

Delegates were welcomed to the Judicial Institute in Parliament House for the Joint UK Lands Tribunals Conference. The two-day programme included sessions on compensation matters, infrastructure rights, telecoms valuation, land registration, valuation case studies, easements and servitudes, an

Legal reforms designed to curb the abusive use of SLAPPs are insufficient to stop the rich and powerful trying to block freedom of speech, a new study warns. Measures in the USA, UK and the EU to stop 'strategic lawsuits against public participation' do not address the deep-seated inadequacies in th

The WS Society welcomed 55 new members across all categories at its May diet of admission, including 17 new Writers to the Signet. 

Police in the US state of Nebraska responding to reports of gunfire attended the scene only to find that the perpetrator was a dog. Officers in Scottsbluff found a truck with damage to one of its doors and a woman suffering minor injuries after the dog inside the vehicle accidentally discharged a sh

The Faculty of Advocates is set to welcome its first new stable in nearly two decades with the launch of 1Six Chambers, a set of leading counsel specialising in public law, commercial litigation, criminal and regulatory law and professional liability and insurance disputes. Bringing together an expe

While AI may have some uses in student assessment, relying on it would result in “homogenised” grading that “underestimates brilliance”, according to researchers from Cambridge University. Researchers have used top Generative AI models to grade hundreds of undergraduate essay

Our weekly round-up of human rights stories from around the world. US sanctions Tanzanian police official over 'torture' of rights activists

The evolving role of pro bono will be unpacked at a free event in Glasgow next month. The in-person event, “Pro Bono Unpacked: Impact, experience and future direction in Scotland”, is open to legal professionals, civil society organisations, community advocates and others with an interes

Holyrood has supported a motion calling for the formal transfer of energy policy to Holyrood. Energy Minister Stephen Gethins said such powers would enable the Scottish government to lower the cost of energy and set policies that work for households, communities and businesses by reducing bills, tac