News

Oral evidence should continue to be the norm at fatal accident inquires, although there is scope for witness statements, the Faculty of Advocates has suggested. In a consultation on draft rules for the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016, the Scottish Civil Just

A yoga teacher has been arrested for "illegal missionary activity" under controversial new laws designed to combat terrorism in Russia.Dmitry Ugay was giving a talk about the philosophy of yoga at a St Petersburg festival when cops bundled him away to protect the motherland from what they presumed t

Mike Kemp

A man has gone on trial in Glasgow Sheriff Court, accused of making death threats against the head of Northern Ireland’s prosecution service, The Herald reports. Gordon Galloway, 50, posted a comment on Facebook under a story about the Director of Public Prosectuions, Barra McGrory QC during his t

A prisoner who claimed that his human rights had been breached because he had not been given a reasonable opportunity to rehabilitate himself has had a legal challenge dismissed. A judge in the Court of Session refused the petition for judicial review after ruling that the Scottish Prison Service di

Theresa May The UK government has published draft legislation to empower Prime Minister Theresa May to activate Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and thereby begin the formal Brexit process.

A global investigation into the reasons why so many women lawyers leave law firms, and on occasion the legal profession entirely, has been launched by the International Bar Association (IBA) Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU). The investigation also seeks to secure information on the profession

Three judges are reportedly in the running to fill the US Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia last year, with President Trump expected to appoint an arch conservative to the bench. Trump’s top picks are believed to be William Pryor, Neil Grouch and Thomas Hardiman

Austin Lafferty

A human trafficking victim whose application for accommodation as a homeless person was rejected by a Scottish local authority has had a legal challenge against the decision dismissed. A judge in the Court of Session upheld the decision by Aberdeen City Council to refuse her application on the groun

Ways in which Scottish public services can help asylum seekers facing destitution are to be investigated by MSPs on Holyrood’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee. The committee is asking people to submit their views on what more can be done to tackle the issue. It will be holding a series of ev

Angela Grahame QC The Faculty of Advocates’ arbitration service, due to launch with two pilot cases in May, has received a mixed response from solicitors.

The number of traineeships available for aspiring solicitors in Scotland continues to rise. According to a Law Society of Scotland report, the number of training contracts started in practice year 2015/16 was 549, representing an increase of two per cent on the previous practice year. This is the sa

Denise McKenzie

Two QCs were among the speakers at a JUSTICE Scotland/Equality and Human Rights Commission event which explored “The Human Rights Implications of Brexit on EU Migration”. Mungo Bovey and Kenneth Campbell gave talks with Dr Jan Culik and Maria Fletcher, senior lecturers at the University of Glasg