News

At the High Court in Glasgow this week seven members of a gang, some as young as 15 at the time of the incident, were sentenced for an indefensible attack on a man with learning difficulties. One 17-year-old male, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was ordered to be detained for six months. Mich

Scottish Secretary David Mundell The population of Scotland could increase as a result of its new powers over welfare and tax according to the Scottish Secretary David Mundell.

A firm of solicitors which challenged a claim by the trustees of a fund set up to provide pensions for employees of legal practices and their dependants has failed in an appeal against a judge’s decision to grant decree against the firm to pay its share of a deficit on the fund. Pattison & Sim

Donald Trump US presidential hopeful and business tycoon Donald Trump has won a planning dispute against residents living near his golf course in Aberdeenshire after they argued parts of it were built without permission.

The Scottish Fiscal Commission should be given the role of producing the official forecasts for the devolved taxes according to a report on the draft bill to give the commission a basis in statute. Whilst the bill proposes that it should be the Scottish government that produces the forecasts, Holyro

Phil Gormley Police Scotland will need to make further savings according to the single force's new Chief Constable, Phil Gormley.

The Scottish government is to continue reviewing the effects of second-hand e-cigarette smoke on health after MSPs rejected a solicitor's bid to have vaping banned in cars. The Law Society of Scotland as well as pressure group Children in Scotland wanted to see legislation banning smoking in cars ex

Graham Walker A former bank in Glasgow is to be turned into a not-for-profit law office by its new owner to fill a gap left by ongoing legal aid cuts.

A Dundee woman who hid her partner's salary of £53,000 a year from welfare authorities so she could claim £27,000 in benefits to play the lottery and shop online has been jailed for a year. Anita Brown, 56, fraudulently claimed benefits for four-and-a-half years before being caught. She said she l

Lady Wolffe A Court of Session judge has issued a note “to assist practitioners in responding positively to the demands and spirit of the new rules governing judicial review petitions”.

An estimated 21 per cent of employees will begin the new year by searching for a new position.

Some senior legal figures in Scotland have suggested the sector is unlikely to see many more mergers. Recent years have seen big names including Dundas & Wilson, McGrigors,Biggart Baillie, Tods Murray and Semple Fraser disappear from the scene.

Scots lawyers have “serious concerns” about snooping legislation proposed by the UK government that could see their confidential communications with clients intercepted. The Law Society of Scotland expressed concern about the consequences of the draft Investigatory Powers Bill for legal professi

The Lord Advocate has given his support to a call by the Lord President for a change in the way children give evidence in court following a serious case of child sex abuse in the Highlands. In February last year, Mark MacLennan was sentenced to eight years in prison after he was found guilty of rapi

A Scots lawyer who embezzled over £1 million has been struck off by the Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal (SSDT). SSDT investigators found David Lyons, 64, had been involved in numerous illegal practices.