News

From today Simple Procedure replaces the current small claims procedure and part of the summary cause procedure. Simple Procedure is a court process designed to provide a speedy, inexpensive and informal way to resolve disputes where the monetary value does not exceed £5,000. The new Simple Procedu

Anderson Strathern has appointed two new partners - Douglas McLachlan and Martin Campbell. There are also 16 other promotions across the firm with nine new senior solicitors and associates and seven new senior associates.

Strict rules rightly govern contracts awarded by public bodies, and, in some cases, by utilities. Contractors must make clear not just their costs, but also exactly what they will do: so what happens when the buyer’s requirements change during a project? Recent regulations which sought to offer cl

Over 50 guests gathered at The Royal George Hotel Perth on Saturday night to mark the retirement of respected fiscal Stuart Richardson. Sheriffs from Perth and Dundee, colleagues from Tayside, fellow fiscals, staff from his office and the Sheriff Court gathered to say their fond farewells.

Former prisoners will no longer be called “offenders” under new Scottish government plans. Under the National Strategy for Criminal Justice, a prisoner will be referred to as a “person with convictions” or a “person with an offending history”.

Roseanna Cunningham Beavers in Tayside and Argyle are to be given legal protection to extend their range naturally except where they cause serious agricultural damage, The Courier reports.

The Crown Office is expecting a flood of new sexual offence cases associated with the ongoing Scottish Child Abuse inquiry as more victims come forward. Catriona Dalrymple, procurator fiscal for police and engagement said that the courts can expect a spate of new cases: “We already deal with cases

Alison Graham

Iain Mitchell QC The Faculty of Advocates had double representation at the official opening of the French legal year in Paris, with the Dean, Gordon Jackson QC, and Iain Mitchell QC, both in attendance.

A motorist found guilty of dangerous driving after crossing over onto the opposite carriageway while “admiring the scenery” and crashing into an oncoming vehicle has lost an appeal in which she claimed she ought to be have been convicted of the lesser charge of careless driving. The Sheriff Appe

Theresa Fyffe A top nurse has claimed there is “little evidence” that prisoners’ health has improved since the NHS assumed responsibility for inmates in 2011, The Herald reports.

Michael Matheson The Justice Secretary has warned that Scotland may have to rely on an outdated extradition agreement from the 1950s following Brexit.

Douglas Mill And Sparks will fly. Which will mean more to solicitors over 55.

Roseanna Cunningham Recorded wildlife crimes dropped by 20 per cent in the five-year period to 2015, according to the annual wildlife crime report published today.

MacRoberts has been commended at the annual British Legal Awards, fighting off competition from national heavyweights Herbert Smith Freehills, Olswang, Simmons and Simmons & Ward Hadaway to be awarded the highly commended title, while Eversheds took the top prize for "commercial team of the year