News

‘Fundamental issues’ must be addressed in a bill which seeks to introduce a recall process to the Scottish Parliament. This is the outcome of a report issued by Holyrood’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee.  The report follows the committee’s consid

COP30 leaders must keep people, and not profits and power, at the heart of negotiations, Amnesty International said ahead of the annual UN climate summit in Brazil. Brazil will host the 30th Conference of Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bel&ea

A man who kept owls and large birds of prey tethered inside tiny cages amid squalid conditions has been banned from owning or keeping animals for five years. Brandon Hodge, 28, was sentenced at Greenock Sheriff Court after he admitted two charges of animal neglect.

Scottish animal welfare charity OneKind is drawing attention to the distress fireworks can cause animals, urging the Scottish government to deliver on legislation passed three years ago that has yet to be implemented.  In 2022, the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 was pass

CMS will stage events across their Scottish offices throughout November designed to support in-house legal teams enhance their role as strategic business partners.  The ‘Legal as a Business Partner’ seminars, being held in Glasgow (12 Nov), Aberdeen (18 Nov) and Edinburgh (27 Nov),

Pornography depicting strangulation or suffocation – often referred to as “choking” – is set to be outlawed, with new legislation requiring online platforms to block UK users from accessing such material. Under amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill tabled at Westminster y

Children were involved in nearly a quarter of all attempted murders in Scotland between April and June this year, prompting calls for increased police resources to address what has been described as a “concerning increase”. A report by the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) revealed that 17

BTO Solicitors LLP has announced the promotion of Julie McMahon to partner within its wills, estates and succession planning team in Glasgow. With extensive experience advising individuals, families and business owners, Ms McMahon specialises in succession planning, asset protection, inheritance tax

Robertson Murdie has merged with Moray firm Stephen & Robb LLP. Emma Carle, principal of Stephen & Robb LLP, said the merger will bring much needed new energy into the northeast legal market. 

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is calling for views on new guidance setting out how it approaches investigations and takes enforcement action. The guidance aims to increase transparency about the process the ICO follows when it suspects an organisation has failed to comply with it

Lawyers and charities across the UK are marking the 24th annual Pro Bono Week this week, recognising the impact of free legal assistance provided by volunteers nationwide to those who would otherwise be unable to access such support. The week’s events showcase the breadth of pro bono support a

Implementing new regulatory measures, supporting the adoption of AI technologies within the legal sector, and next year’s Scottish elections will be key areas of focus for the Law Society of Scotland over the next 12 months. The Law Society has set out 16 new projects for the 2025/26 practice

Scotland’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill takes centre stage at Holyrood again today as MSPs begin three weeks scrutinising almost 300 amendments to the proposed legislation. The private member's bill sponsored by Lib Dem Liam McArthur narrowly passed stage one earlie

5 has acquired all 27 series of one of the world’s longest-running crime dramas – Taggart – in a deal with the show’s creators, STV Studios. All 110 episodes of the hit Scottish drama, which originally ran from 1983 to 2010, will be made available on 5’s streaming servi

A judge in Belgium has warned that the country is "evolving into a narco-state", with the government accused of failing to adequately support judges intimidated by drug traffickers. Belgium's court and tribunals service last week published an open letter penned by one of the 17 investigating judges