News

This week, the ICO fined Heathrow Airport Limited £120,000 for serious breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998. Whilst this decision is under the “old” data protection rules, it provides some helpful guidance from the ICO on what organisations should be doing to avoid such action

Blackadders has signed the UK Armed Forces Covenant, a commitment to support servicemen and women. Chairman Scott Williamson signed the document at the firm’s Dundee offices. It was co-signed on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) by squadron leader Jason Aslett, executive officer of 612 S

Global attention has recently focused on the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the US Supreme Court, but Graham Ogilvy reports that the appointment of Scottish lawyer James Wilson as one of the first six SCOTUS justices was also controversial — when Wilson was twice incarcerated in a debtor&rs

Divorce judges will assign custody over pets on a similar basis to custody over children under new legislation in California. Judges are now legally required to consider an animal's best interests in divorce proceedings and can order shared ownership of a pet.

A former St Andrews university student who claimed she was raped by a man during a drunken night out has successfully sued him for £80,000 in damages after raising a civil action. Stephen Coxen, 23, was acquitted after a High Court trial when a jury found the charge “not proven”, b

Ministers will consult on how the criminal law might be strengthened as part of efforts to tackle misogynistic behaviour, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has announced. Mr Yousaf said a forthcoming consultation focusing on updating and consolidating Scotland's hate crime laws will include considerati

Aberdein Considine has made appointments to both its private client and banking litigation teams. James MacKinnon has joined the firm as partner and head of private client in Edinburgh. He was previously legal director at Gillespie Macandrew.

Rory Alexander discusses the Fairer Scotland Duty and the opportunity it affords local authorities to tackle inequality.   Now more than ever, the battle to reduce inequalities amongst the most disadvantaged in our society is being recognised as a priority by our key decision makers and, f

Gilson Gray has appointed Cheryl Edgar to its North Berwick team. She joins as senior associate from local firm Garden Stirling Burnet (GSB) with many years’ experience in conveyancing law, and prior to this spent 18 years with Anderson Strathern.

Shepherd and Wedderburn’s banking and finance team has reported a strong year for deals activity, with a 41 per cent rise in the number of completed deals and a 12 per cent increase in the overall value of transactions. The team, whose clients include banks, funds, financial ins

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf is to chair a dedicated task force to improve victims and complainers' experiences of the justice system. The task force aims to ensure complainers' voices are heard, to streamline their journey through the criminal justice system, and to provide wide-ranging support a

First year law students at Aberdeen University were welcomed with a dinner held in the impressive Elphinstone Hall on Friday. Aberdeen Law School tweeted: Matriculation Dinner for our new first years! Thanks to Paul Dickson of Slaughter & May for speaking (and sponsoring). Our M&aacut

Last month advocate Robert Sutherland completed a trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro as part of a team raising money for the Scottish children’s charity Children 1st. Here he describes what this involved. Mount Kilimanjaro is 5,895m (19,341ft) high and is the largest f

On Wednesday 3 October the Aberdeen Law Project (ALP) held its 2018 annual lecture, delivered by Sir Anthony Seldon and sponsored by CMS. ALP hosted a capacity audience for the address of Sir Anthony Seldon, award-winning political author, contemporary historian and educator.

A local authority is under pressure to reveal the full cost of a court battle it fought against a cheesemaker. South Lanarkshire Council's legal department has admitted it spent almost £600,000 in the case against Errington Cheese and it is thought the final bill will exceed £1 million a