News

The Supreme Court has begun hearing an appeal by a mixed-sex couple who are fighting to have a civil partnersip instead of a marriage. London-based couple Rebecca Steinfeld, 36, and Charles Keidan, 40, lost their case at the Court of Appeal last February following a ruling that said they could not e

Scottish lawyer and academic Professor Joe Thomson passed away over the weekend at the age of 70. He was Regius Professor of Law at the University of Glasgow from 1991 to 2005, and later an honorary professor in the School of Law.

Eamon Keane, solicitor and convener of the Scottish Legal Action Group (SCOLAG), responds below to recent comments by Lord Carolway on the conduct of rape trials. On the 1st of May 2018 the Lord President announced that “rape victims should not have to appear in court”. Speaking to the B

Aberdeen firm Balfour+Manson has strengthened its team in north-east Scotland with the appointment of Anne McTaggart, who joins as partner in the firm's family law team. A practising solicitor since 1976, Ms McTaggart is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a family law specialist and as a s

All Scottish prisoners should have the right to vote, the Scottish Parliament's equalities and human rights committee has said. The commitee began considering the issue last September after receiving a letter on the issue from Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie.

Edinburgh-based IP practice Marks & Clerk has announced plans to relocate to larger premises in the regenerated Haymarket area.

Dickson Minto has announced the appointment of Catherine Christie as a partner in its corporate M&A team in Edinburgh. Ms Christie has been with the firm for the entire length of her legal career, starting in 1997.

The UK government has apologised for its role in a Libyan dissident's 2004 abduction, torture and rendition to Libya. In a letter, Prime Minister Theresa May acknowledged that an MI6 tip-off allowed Abdul Hakim Belhaj and his wife, Fatima Boudchar, to be detained by US forces in Thailand.

The Electoral Commission has slapped campaign group Leave.EU with a £70,000 fine for breaching electoral law in the 2016 EU referendum. The group's chief executive, Liz Bilney, has also been referred to the police in connection with potential criminal offences.

New research by Aberdein Considine has revealed that the vast majority of family firms in Scotland would give up control of the business if that was the only way for it to expand or grow. Three quarters (75 per cent) of family-run firms in Scotland would consider ceding control of the business in or

Stephen McGowan, head of licensing at TLT Solicitors, has warned the Scottish government to think carefully over proposals to change licensing laws to compel venues to arrange safe transportation home for staff. Mr McGowan told Scottish Licensed Trade News that licensing law "should not be used as a

Border guards at Heathrow Airport seized an illegal shipment of 50 live crocodiles being smuggled to Britain. The year-old saltwater crocodiles, around 10 foot long and weighing 40 kilograms each, were packed into five boxes.

Thorntons Solicitors has granted a funding boost to downhill biking competitors from Leslie Bike Shop.

The Supreme Court will hear the UK government's challenge to the Scottish Parliament's Continuity Bill over two days in July, the court has confirmed. Hearings will take place before five or seven justices from 24-25 July 2018 to establish whether the bill is within Scotland's devolved competencies.