News

Work to promote mutual understanding of the differences in adults with incapacity law across the UK will benefit the public, according to the professional bodies for solicitors north and south of the border. The Law Society of Scotland and the Law Society of England and Wales have jointly developed

Thorntons has expanded its commercial real estate team with two appointments. Simone Young, who has more than 25 years’ experience of advising all parties involved in the construction sector, joins as partner, and Stephanie Zak, who has worked in both practice and industry during her 17-year c

Professor David Garland, one of the world’s most influential criminologists, was awarded an honorary doctor of laws by the University of Edinburgh on Tuesday, in recognition of his contributions to the study of punishment and social regulation. An Edinburgh Law School graduate, Professor Garla

A new bill in Ireland would introduce a disregard scheme for historic convictions for consensual sexual activity between men prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the country in 1993. Sinn Féin TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh this week introduced the Disregard of Historic Offences fo

An oil and gas company which secured a $660 million judgment against Greenpeace in the US courts is now being sued in the Netherlands in what the environmental NGO says is the first major test of the EU's anti-SLAPP laws. Texas-based company Energy Transfer accused Greenpeace of defamation and orche

Award-winning documentary series Murder Case will return later this year with a new three-part series focusing on two cases – Tony Parsons, the charity cyclist who went missing in 2017, and the violent murder of Lucretia ‘Kiesha’ Donaghy in 2023.  The forthcoming new series of

Holyrood’s Rural Affairs & Islands Committee has endorsed the Dog Theft (Scotland) Bill despite the fact stealing dogs is already a crime. Publishing its stage one report, the committee said that it supports the general principles of the bill but detailed areas for reconsideration and deve

The University of Strathclyde Law Clinic has negotiated a significant five-figure settlement in a disability discrimination and unfair dismissal case brought before the Employment Tribunal. The clinic's client alleged that their dismissal was both unfair and discriminatory. Central to the claim was

The chief executive of the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has resigned following mounting criticism over the body's handling of two of the most serious miscarriages of justice in British history. Karen Kneller, who had led the organisation since 2013, announced her departure on Thursday mor

The High Court has ordered a “robust and independent” investigation into how MI5 submitted false evidence to multiple courts, after dismissing two internal reviews by the Security Service as seriously “deficient”. The decision follows a BBC investigation which revealed that M

Retail trade union Usdaw is concerned by the continued growing trend of shoplifting incidents in Scotland, which have more than doubled since the pandemic, alongside a persistent decline in police ‘clear-up’ rates for the offence. The union welcomes that the protection of retail workers

A teenage influencer who is trying to become the first pilot to fly solo to every continent has been detained by Chilean authorities after an unauthorised trip to Antarctica. Prosecutors allege that 19-year-old Ethan Guo deliberately deviated from his flight plan over the southern Chilean city of Pu

A man who convinced thousands of followers that he was the reincarnation Christ has been imprisoned in Russia. Sergei Torop, a former traffic cop, founded the "Church of the Last Testament" in 1991 and recruited thousands of members in Siberia.

Sara Albizzati, a senior associate at Gibson Kerr, has received a Society for Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) Excellence Award for achieving the top distinction-level exam result for the Advanced Certificate in Taxation of Trusts and Estates (Scotland). The accolade is awarded to those who att

DLA Piper Scotland has bolstered its senior ranks with promotions in its Edinburgh office. Tony Holloran (litigation and regulatory), Jamie O'Neill (intellectual property and technology), Seb Galastro (real estate), and Jacques Camilleri (projects) have been promoted to legal director alongside seni