News

America's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is looking for victims of the Lockerbie bombing ahead of the trial of a Libyan suspect in the US next year.

The prisoner reception system should be examined following the death of a man in custody, a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) has concluded. William Lothian, 66, died in HMP Edinburgh on 14 May 2021 after hanging himself. The FAI was a mandatory inquiry since the death of Mr Lothian occurred while he was

A round-up of human rights stories from around the world. Brazil’s human rights minister sacked over sexual harassment allegations

Edinburgh Law School will host the Palestinian ambassador at an event next month in which he will discuss an international ruling on Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory. His excellency Dr Husam Zomlot is the ambassador of the State of Palestine, Palestinian Mission to the United Kingdom. An

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) has announced that Dame Janice M. Pereira DBE has accepted an invitation from the JCPC’s chairman Lord Reed to sit with the JCPC in London for a week in December to hear scheduled appeals. Dame Janice is a distinguished judge who has recently

Residential property prices in Scotland rose at the fastest rate since mid-2022 according to the results of the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey, and Scottish surveyors expect sales and prices to rise over the next three months. A net balance of 39 per

A man has been accused of using generative AI to fraudulently obtain more than $10 million in royalties from music streaming services using fake music and fake listeners. New York man Michael Smith, 52, was arrested by the FBI last week in connection with the alleged fraud, which involved hundreds o

An independent inquiry into the 1989 murder of Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane has been announced by the UK government. Mr Finucane, who co-founded Madden & Finucane Solicitors, was murdered in his home in north Belfast on 12 February 1989 by loyalist paramilitaries who acted in collusion with UK

Police officers' time is being wasted in court, Chief Constable Jo Farrell has said. Appearing before Holyrood’s Criminal Justice Committee yesterday, she said that as many as 500 officers are taken away from their duties every day to appear in court, with most not even giving evidence.

Hamiltons Law Accountants has appointed two new trainees. Director David Hamilton said: “Following our recent recruitment campaign, it’s a real pleasure to welcome Ciara McKinley and Craig McLennan to Hamiltons Law Accountants.

Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD), which has an office in Edinburgh, has announced a combination with Lewis Roca in the US, creating a firm of more than 1,200 lawyers in 37 offices in the United States and the United Kingdom. With a planned effective date of 1 January 2025, the firm will operate as Womble

Jones Whyte has welcomed 12 new first-year trainee solicitors to its 2024 intake. The new cohort completed their first week with the firm with an induction program.

Edinburgh Law School’s Dr Martin David Kelly, lecturer in legal theory, has been elected as a convenor of the Jurisprudence Section of the Society of Legal Scholars (SLS). Dr Kelly will take over the convening of the section with Dr Sahar Shah (University of Bristol), for a three-year term in

A national campaign to help young people to safely navigate social media and prevent violence has been launched. ‘Quit Fighting For Likes’ aims to get young people to think about and discuss attitudes and behaviours around the filming and sharing of violent incidents.

The Law Society of Scotland is inviting nominations for honorary membership for outstanding service for the public good by a Scottish solicitor. To mark its 75th anniversary, the Law Society has opened nominations for the award which is normally presented once every two years. The most recent recipi