News

Prison governors have written to MSPs over "significant concerns" about the rising number of inmates in Scotland. Natalie Beal, chair of the Prison Governors’ Association Scotland (PGAS), said staff were under "significant strain" and called for "urgent mitigation".

UNESCO has unveiled an action plan amid a warning that the intensification of disinformation and hate speech online constitutes "a major threat to stability and social cohesion". Audrey Azoulay, director-general of UNESCO, said: “Digital technology has enabled immense progress on freedom of sp

UK animal law charity The Animal Law Foundation has sent a legal letter demanding that the Scottish government implement official guidance to protect farmed fish. The initiative aims to address a gap in current protections for farmed fish, including salmon, which are not adequately protected within

At the High Court in Glasgow yesterday, Judge Young imposed a £400 fine on Ian Higgins. Mr Higgins had pled guilty to a contempt of court by refusing to perform the duties required of a juror. The sentencing statement is reproduced below. Contempt of court includes conduct that denotes wilful

The Scottish Legal Aid Board has confirmed that as at 1 June 2023 there were 975 lawyers on the Criminal Legal Aid Register, following a freedom of information request by the Scottish Solicitors Bar Association (SSBA). Of those 975, however, 238 received no payment for criminal legal aid in the year

Gillian Donald has been appointed as a partner at Blackadders in Aberdeen. Ms Donald joins from Brodies LLP and has extensive experience working with clients in the north-east of Scotland.

Police have penalised a teenager for driving a "Booty Patrol" vehicle that looked too similar to a real law enforcement vehicle. Gabriel Luviano, 18, was pulled over in Florida while driving the truck, which says "Booty Patrol" along the side and back and "National Booty Behaviour Protection" on the

A law firm in Dunblane has pledged its support to nine charities by signing up to an annual will-writing campaign. Bartys, a branch of Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie LLP (WJM), has been a part of the Will Aid scheme for 27 years, helping raise vital donations every November by writing basic wills

Cullen Kilshaw LLP Solicitors and Estate Agents is to merge with JD Clark & Allan, a long-established firm based in Duns in the Borders. The combined firm will continue to trade under the name of Cullen Kilshaw LLP.

A former sheriff has admitted to making sexual and racist remarks during an online call. Alastair Duff, 69, was director of the Judicial Institute of Scotland until he resigned suddenly in late 2021. He admitted making the remarks at his home in Edinburgh during a WebEx meeting in October 2021.

A new report suggests that almost all the world’s 125 leading law firms struggle to demonstrate the value they create for their wider stakeholders and fall short in meeting the responsible business expectations of clients.

Fair Work Secretary Neil Gray has welcomed figures showing the gender pay gap in Scotland has fallen to a record low. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings shows the gender pay gap in Scotland fell from three per cent in 2022 to 1.7 per cent in 2023 – the

Woman and girls will be better protected and victims’ needs prioritised as part of reforms to improve justice services and create safer communities, the Scottish government has announced. The Vision for Justice Delivery Plan published today also includes actions to address "long-standing chall

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have called on the Scottish government to protect the justice budget and enhance community policing after new research found that less than half of violent assaults resulted in a criminal charge being reported to the Crown Office last year. Scottish Liberal Democrat re

More than four out of five expert witnesses want judges to be willing to give them anonymity in criminal or controversial cases. The finding comes from the 2023 Expert Witness Survey, from the Law Society Gazette, and concerns cases in which experts are instructed to give evidence in emotionally dif