News

The Criminal Appeal Court has reiterated its warning to defence lawyers over the “derogatory and insulting” questioning of rape complainers and criticised a judge for “wholly inappropriate” comments made about the evidence of a witness during the course of a trial.

The widow of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has been granted a declaration that the state has failed to deliver an Article 2 compliant investigation into the death of her husband, who was shot and killed by loyalist paramilitaries in collusion with the UK security forces. In a unanimous jud

A review of legal aid funding for families involved in fatal accident inquiries has been announced. Community Safety Minister Ash Denham told MSPs that a full consultation would be undertaken before this year's summer recess with a view to introducing a new legal aid bill.

Two-thirds (67 per cent) of the 6,736 hate crimes recorded in 2017-18 included a race aggravator, crime statistics published today show. Developing Information on Hate Crime Recorded by the Police in Scotland also shows that 16 per cent of hate crimes included a sexual orientation aggravat

The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has launched a landmark legal challenge before the High Court in London in a bid to extend collective bargaining rights for outsourced workers. The union is alleging that outsourced workers at the University of London are being denied their righ

Scottish law firms can find out more about their financial health by taking part in the Law Society of Scotland's 2019 Financial Benchmarking Survey, which opens today. The survey helps firms of all sizes, from sole practitioner and high street firms to larger commercial firms, assess their financia

Legal experts are to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Scottish Parliament at a seminar in Edinburgh next month. The creation of the Scottish Parliament radically transformed Scotland’s constitutional arrangements, bringing political deliberation, governmental accountability, and la

DWF's Scottish corporate team has advised Ipsum Group, backed by private equity fund Aliter Capital, on its third bolt-on acquisition, the purchase of drainage and maintenance company Euro Environmental Utilities Group Limited. This is the ninth deal closed by Aliter since the beginning of 2017.

A legal challenge against Uber's licence to operate in London has failed after judges in the High Court rejected claims of bias. Black cab drivers crowdfunded legal fees to argue that Uber's 15-month permit was decided by a magistrate who had a conflict of interest, which “tainted by actu

A federal US court has been rebuked for issuing a judgment by a dead judge. Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit was listed as the author of a majority opinion issued 11 days after his death, CNBC reports.

A former sheriff has been struck off the solicitors’ roll for a “catalogue of serious and reprehensible behaviour”. Hugh Neilson accepted that he was guilty of “professional misconduct” after a number of complaints from clients.

The potential impact of sentencing guidelines being introduced which have not been properly considered and tested would be considerable, according to the Scottish Sentencing Council. The council was responding to a motion for debate in the Scottish Parliament tomorrow, concerning sentencing pol

The UK has been ordered to give the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius "as rapidly as possible" after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled British occupation of the archipelago was illegal, The Guardian reports. The British retained possession of the islands after Mauritius gained independen

Scottish courts would impose tougher sentences on criminals who target the elderly under proposed laws. Adults with dementia or chronic illnesses will be given new protections to prevent their mistreatment.

The public must be engaged if Scotland moves to an opt-out organ donation system, the Law Society of Scotland has said. The society, commenting ahead of the Scottish Parliament debate on proposals to move to an “opt-out” system for organ donation, has called for greater public aware