News

The Lord President, Lord Pentland, has written to a Holyrood committee to explain his role in the appointing of judicial chairs to public inquiries. There is currently an investigation into the cost-effectiveness of public inquiries.

Law firms in England and Wales may have to hand over the interest from client accounts to help fund legal aid under plans being considered by the UK government. The Ministry of Justice has been privately consulting with legal aid providers and the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) on the propose

Scotland’s legal sector has formally welcomed 130 new solicitors to the profession at dual admissions ceremonies in Edinburgh.

Turkey's transport minister has been fined after posting a social media video which showed he was speeding. Abdulkadir Uraloğlu was driving at 140mph, nearly twice the speed limit, in footage he posted to his X account on Sunday, Turkish Minute reports.

Paediatricians have called on Northern Ireland to follow neighbouring jurisdictions in banning child smacking. At present, the law in Northern Ireland and in England allows parents to rely on a defence of "reasonable punishment" where accused of assaulting their child.

An Edinburgh man who was found guilty of raping two vulnerable teenagers on the same night has been jailed indefinitely. Raymond Nyiam, also known as Otu Nyiam, was convicted of two charges on 15 April 2025 following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh. 

Archaic prison rules are forcing inmates in part of the US prison system to rely on floppy disks to work on their appeals. Jorge Luis Alvarado, a New Jersey prisoner writing for the Prison Journalism Project (PJP), compares the situation to "1985, where we rely on out-of-date word processors, electr

There was a five per cent rise in sexual crimes compared to last year, new figures from Scotland's chief statistician show. In the year ending June 2025 the police in Scotland recorded 303,343 crimes. This was one per cent higher than the 300,078 crimes recorded in the year ending June 2024, and one

Police Scotland has run internal training courses to support officers with reading, writing, statement-taking and everyday speech, prompting concerns about the calibre of new recruits. A freedom of information request by The Herald confirmed the training was delivered in collaboration with SEMPER Sc

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of Alistair Iain Campbell. Mr Campbell, 63, an HGV driver and operator who traded as Alistair Campbell Haulage, died on 15 July 2024 at his operating centre in Glen Mor, Invergarry

The Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) will launch its next manifesto on 6 September. The document serves as a roadmap to achieve the changes sought by young people across the country over the next five years, with the next edition to be launched at the upcoming sitting, SYP’s annual gathering fo

This year’s Glasgow Legal Walk will place on Wednesday 24 September 2025. The annual charity event coordinated by the Access To Justice Foundation encourages members and supporters of the legal community to walk to raise money for much-needed local advice centres. The walk will be great fun, o

The Law Society of Scotland is to establish a new committee to oversee its international work. The committee will advise on international activities, including the society’s relations with EU institutions and other bars and law societies around the globe, as well as raising awareness about the

The Appeal Court of the High Court of Justiciary is to become the first criminal court in Scotland with a regular livestreaming service, allowing hearings to be viewed online by the public. Solemn (jury) criminal appeals will be livestreamed from 29 August, improving access, openness, and transparen

A federal judge has ordered the closure of Donald Trump’s “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention camp in Florida, ruling that the facility is causing severe and irreparable damage to the Everglades. US district judge Kathleen Williams issued an 82-page ruling banning new detain