News

The Law Society of Scotland is drawing up plans to allow first-year trainee criminal lawyers to appear in court because there are too few entrants to the criminal legal aid sector, The Times reports. There are currently between 25 and 30 trainees at criminal legal aid firms, in addition to those at

Improvements to plans for an opt-out organ donation system have been suggested by the Faculty of Advocates to MSPs. The Faculty called for annual publicity campaigns so new residents in Scotland were always kept informed about the policy of deemed consent.

The number of civil cases in Scotland initiated in 2016-17 was the lowest since records began in 2008-09, with a drop of 44 per cent since that year. The latest civil justice statistics, published by Scotland’s Chief Statistician today also record a 48 per cent drop in cases at the Court of Se

Further options to deliver the devolution of railway policing to Scotland are to be explored, the Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has said. The decision comes following recent advice from Police Scotland around the practicalities of a number of issues and timing of implementation, particularly r

Stephen Webster looks at the unintended consequences of regulation in the financial services sector.  The financial services industry is one of the most highly regulated sectors in the world. That’s a good thing because it means that professional practitioners are held accountable for the

Souter Investments has sold search company First Scottish to US firm Eli Global for an undisclosed sum, it announced yesterday. First Scottish produces searches and reports for solicitors, local authorities, financial institutions and others.

The new head of Police Scotland has acknowledged that mistakes were made in the creation of the single force five years ago. Iain Livingstone, who took up the post of Chief Constable on Monday, said the force "had not always engaged with communities sufficiently".

This year's annual Red Mass to mark the beginning of the new legal year in Scotland takes place on Sunday, 23 September 2018 at noon.

Police have launched a criminal investigation into the demolition of a historic Dundee mill. The derelict Halley's Mill, built in 1836, was demolished by Craigie Estates in May out of safety concerns.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has been given additional in-year budget of £3.6 million to fund the recruitment of up to 140 permanent staff, including 60 lawyers. The funding boost has been agreed by the Scottish government in response to an “unprecedented&r

A partner in Balfour+Manson has been honoured for his outstanding contribution to personal injury law – joining a colleague as one of only three lawyers to receive the accolade. Iain Nicol has been accredited as only the third fellow of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) in Scot

The Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, has spoken to The Herald about his family's past in Nazi Germany. On a visit to the Garnethill Synagogue in Glasgow, Mr Wolffe reflected on the lives of his father and grandparents.

Plans for a women's custody unit in Dundee have been submitted by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS). If approved, the community custody unit (CCU) will open in late 2020 on Nelson Street in the Hilltown area of the city.