News

Scottish Legal News attracted 614 new readers last year, finishing 2018 with 12,212 subscribers. Twitter followers increased by around the same number to finish the year at 9,310. But the largest increase came in traffic to our new mobile-friendly website with monthly individual user figures up by a

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has warned that “people are being packed into prisons like sardines” after a parliamentary question revealed that the occupancy rate of nine prisons was 100 per cent or higher last month. Barlinnie was operating at 139 per

Pictured (L-R): Robbie Francis, Loretta Maxfield, Colin Graham and Craig Nicol Thorntons Solicitors has appointed Loretta Maxfield and Robbie Francis as new partners in its Dundee office.

Some of the families being represented at the fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the Clutha helicopter disaster are hoping to gain funding from charity. A hearing before Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull at Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that legal aid has been partially granted to the families of Samuel

Geopolitical uncertainty has not dampened enthusiasm for corporate mergers and acquisitions according to one of Scotland’s top dealmakers. Investment levels have remained “buoyant” over the past 12 months, and international interest in investing in Scotland has also been sustained

Gibson Kerr has recruited three solicitors and two support staff and promoted a paralegal to trainee solicitor, bringing its staff portfolio to 15.

The Scottish Bar Association of New York (ScotBarNY) has announced the launch of the ScotBarNY Foundation, a charitable public foundation formed with the purpose of advancing the relationship between legal professionals and students in Scotland and the United States. Over 200 legal and law-rela

Balfour+Manson was the first law firm to assume a female partner in Scotland in 1949, and it continues to promote women on merit, says Elaine Motion. As a lawyer specialising in human rights and civil liberties, I have stood up for equality throughout my career

The Law Society of Scotland has launched an online version of its popular career mentoring scheme with the aim of supporting even more solicitors and students with career development. Since its introduction in 2014, 150 mentees have successfully been matched with a mentor.

Via Martin Hogg: The University of Edinburgh's new Law Library opened its doors today, welcoming students beginning the new term as the Law School completes its return to a refurbished Old College five years after the project was launched – one of the most ambitious in its 300-year histo

A couple in Germany whose four children were temporarily taken into care because they insisted on homeschooling them did not suffer a violation of their article 8 rights, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled. In yesterday's Chamber judgment in the case of Wunderlich v Germany, the co

One of Scotland's most distinguished former judges takes centre stage in a new Netflix four-part series entitled The Tokyo Trial with English actor Paul Freeman playing judge Lord Patrick, a former Dean of the Faculty of Advocates and WW1 Royal Flying Corps air ace, who represented the UK on the Int

House of Commons officials have fitted a tamper alarm to the bust of Oliver Cromwell in order to prevent Labour MP Stephen Pound from turning it to face the wall in protest of the military and political leader's record in Ireland. Mr Pound, the MP for Ealing North, has objected to the bust for a num

A Scots lawyer convicted of embezzling more than £20,000 of clients’ money has been struck off the solicitors’ roll by the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal (SSDT). Paul O'Donnell, of Glasgow, pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in April 2016 to em

A figure from the children's hearing system has said the age of criminal responsibility could be raised to 16. Malcolm Schaffer, head of practice and policy at the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration, told MSPs that the criminal justice system is not necessary to "control behaviour" of