News

A major change to the timetable of the Court of Session, allowing it to sit throughout the year, has been announced by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS). Under a Direction issued by the Lord President, Lord Carloway, the traditional three court terms of the legal year will effectively

Michael Matheson Recorded crime in Scotland is at its lowest level since 1974 according to figures released today.

Lord Carloway The focus of court reforms must now shift from structure to function, without losing sight of the goal of a justice system which works efficiently, the Lord President, Lord Carloway, said in an address at the opening of the legal year.

The head of Police Scotland has said he wants to re-empower regional commanders in a move that will curb centralisation. Phil Gormley conceded that some good practices of local forces had been “lost in transition” but added he would “release the thinking” of the single force’s chief inspec

Andrew Mackenzie The International Bar Association’s access to justice and legal committee, working with the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, has launched a draft report titled “Children and Access to Justice: National Practices, International Challenges.” The report was launched and the IB

A man has been jailed for nine years by the International Criminal Court in its first sentence based on cultural destruction as a war crime. Islamist Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi made history by pleading guilty to charges of destroying 14 of the 16 mausoleums in the ancient city of Timbuktu, regarding the

Katie Jukes Katie Jukes discusses the Strasbourg ruling that allowed gay people to serve in the armed forces.

Phil Gormley Police officers must still be allowed to search young people for alcohol once a new code of practice is introduced, the single force’s Chief Constable has said.

Mike Polson Ashurst is due to achieve its goal of creating 300 jobs within five years of opening its legal and business support centre in Glasgow.

The University of Dundee’s Law School has been ranked tenth in the latest edition of the The Times’ Good University Guide 2017. Aberdeen University followed in 15th place, while Edinburgh took 16th. Glasgow University came in 18th, Abertay 19th and Strathclyde 22nd.

Alison Wild Westwater advocate Alison Wild has successfully completed the Edinburgh Culture Crawl. The ten-mile adventure through the city’s streets took in nine venues. For Alison the highlight was the Royal Bank of Scotland in St Andrew Square where the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland sang

Pictured (L-R): Sandy Wood (project coordinator at Bedrock), Hugh Sanders, Louise Docherty, Sarah Sutton, Sheila Kirkwood, Ken Tudhope and Kirsty Douglas

A family of balaclava-clad anti fox-hunting protestors who were found guilty of a statutory breach of the peace after following a hunt have failed in an appeal against their convictions. Colin Milne and Beverly Milne and their daughter Amy Lilburn were convicted of behaving in a “threatening” ma

Raichel Hopkinson FTSE 100 companies have set aside £31.3 billion in the last 12 months to meet legal claims – a 22 per cent increase from the £25.6bn set aside in the previous year, according to the legal business of Thomson Reuters.

Pictured (L-R): David Allen, Professor Lorne Crerar, and Donald Shaw