News

Pinsent Masons and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) have been recognised as two of the top three Scottish employers for lesbian, gay and bisexual staff. The organisations' commitment to workplace diversity has been acknowledged by Stonewall, which also placed Pinsent Masons nin

The number of attacks on Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) personnel dropped during 2013-14. The total number of incidents where attacks occurred decreased from 81 in 2012-13 to 69 incidents in 2013-14.

Law students from the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow debated the question of whether assisted suicide should be legalised in Scotland in the University of Glasgow’s historic Debates Chambers. Edinburgh University’s Mason Institute hosted the second annual intramural student debate between

Catherine Guthrie (pictured) discusses the need to account for digital assets when making a will. It has recently been announced that Facebook is to introduce a “legacy contract”, allowing a friend or relative to access and update a person’s profile when they die. The idea is not without its c

This year's Scottish Legal News Annual Review devotes a section to Scottish lawyers working in the USA. The section is built around an essay by US judge Jed Rakoff and in it three Scottish lawyers tell of their experiences stateside.

MacRoberts has appointed John McGovern (pictured) partner. Mr McGovern heads a three-strong team appointed by the firm to further strengthen the intellectual property, technology & commercial (IPTC) practice group.

Commenting on the death of Scottish solicitor Joe Beltrami (pictured), Alistair Morris, president of the Law Society of Scotland, said: “Joe Beltrami was a towering figure in Scotland’s legal landscape and will be much missed by all those who knew him. “Joe became a household name as one of th

A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) will not be held into the death of a six-week-old baby over seven years ago, the Crown Office has said. The decision came after discussions with the family of Alexis Matheson – with the Crown Office saying facts and learning points had previously been established in

A new law which aims to speed up the process of “getting the deal in writing” and bring benefits to businesses in Scotland, has been passed by the Scottish parliament. Speaking after the stage 3 debate on the Legal Writings (Counterparts and Delivery) (Scotland) Bill energy secretary Fergus Ewin

Pressure is mounting on Scottish ministers to scrap a law meant to give patients a legal guarantee of speedy NHS treatment following news it has been flouted in a significant number of cases. The Treatment of Time Guarantee came into force in 2012 as part of the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011, w

The owner of a fire-damaged church whose claim on an insurance policy was repudiated by insurers has had a counterclaim for indemnification for losses arising from the blaze dismissed by a judge in the Court of Session. Lord Boyd of Duncansby (pictured) heard that in January 1998 the defender Lady I

Ernie Boath

A judge in the Court of Appeal has told the former wife of a millionaire horse surgeon to find a job and that she has no right to expect “an income for life” at the expense of her ex-husband. Lord Justice Pitchford’s (pictured) decision may affect how former partners of wealthy spouses are tre

The Scottish Legal News Annual Review 2015 contains an excellent family law section. Linda Walker of Balfour Manson asks: “Are the Scots a tight-fisted bunch when it comes to divorce?”.